A. Every dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person shall be promptly reported to the animal control officer and shall be securely confined at the animal shelter or its authorized agent unless the owner makes arrangements with a veterinary hospital of the owner's choice at the owner's expense. The animal shelter will keep any such animal for no longer than seventy-two (72) hours. It is the owner's responsibility to make arrangements with a veterinary hospital for confinement under the supervision of a veterinarian for a period of ten (10) days from the date the person was bitten or as otherwise provided in this section. Once confined, the dog, cat, or ferret shall not be released from such confinement except by written permission of the animal control officer. In the case of stray dogs or cats or in the cases of dogs, cats, or ferrets whose ownership is not known, such quarantine shall be at the animal shelter or its authorized agent. Any animal that is not taken to a veterinary hospital after seventy-two hours, or earlier at the owner's discretion, shall be euthanized.
B. The animal control officer may make an exception to the requirement of confinement with a veterinarian under the following circumstances:
1. Dogs, cats, or ferrets involved in a first party ownership may be allowed to be securely confined and closely observed at the owner's home for a period of ten (10) days immediately following the bite as further defined in subsection 4-423B of this chapter; and
2. Dogs in service to the blind, police dogs or search and rescue dogs in the line of duty, or other currently vaccinated dogs or cats in a situation where separation from the owner will threaten the owner's well being, may be allowed to be placed in a home quarantine.
When an exception is granted, the animal control officer will provide information regarding the symptoms of rabies to the person responsible for containing the animal during the quarantine period. If the animal should display any of the symptoms for rabies, the responsible person must immediately contact the animal control officer for further disposition.
C. The owner upon demand made by the animal control officer shall forthwith surrender the dog, cat, or ferret that has bitten a human for supervised quarantine, which expense shall be borne by the owner, and may be reclaimed by the owner if adjudged free of rabies upon payment of the fees set forth in this part and upon compliance with applicable spaying or neutering provisions set forth in article A of this chapter.
D. Any domestic animal which is currently vaccinated against rabies and is exposed to a rabid animal shall be revaccinated within seventy two (72) hours of notification and isolated, by leashing or confinement under the owner's supervision, for a period of at least forty five (45) days.
E. Any livestock or equine animal which is not currently vaccinated and is exposed to a rabid animal shall be managed according to the most current compendium of animal rabies control published by the National Association Of State Public Health Veterinarians and any state department of agriculture guidelines, that may apply. Any dog, cat, or ferret which is not currently vaccinated against rabies and is exposed to a rabid animal shall be:
1. Euthanized immediately either by a veterinarian of the owner's choice, or the animal control officer or his agent; or
2. Placed in strict quarantine and observed for a period of sb?-(6) four (4) months under the supervision of a veterinarian at a veterinary hospital. Such dog, cat, or ferret shall be vaccinated against rabies approximately thirty (30) days prior to release from quarantine.
F. When a dog, cat, or ferret under quarantine has been diagnosed as being rabid, or suspected by a veterinarian as being rabid, and dies while under such observation, then the animal control officer shall immediately send the head of the animal to veterinary pathology laboratory of Oklahoma State University or other recognized diagnostic laboratory for rabies examination. He shall notify the public health officer of reports of human contact and the diagnosis made of the suspected animal. If the animal is decapitated, such work shall be done by a veterinarian.
G. When one or both reports give a positive diagnosis of rabies, the city manager may recommend a citywide quarantine for a period of thirty (30) days. Upon the invoking of such quarantine, no dog or cat shall be taken into the streets, or permitted to be in the streets, during such period of quarantine.
H. If there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended for an additional period.
I. No person shall kill, or cause to be killed, any rabid dog, cat, or ferret, any dog, cat, or ferret suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any dog, cat, or ferret biting a human, except as provided in this section, nor remove the same from the city without permission from the animal control officer.
J. The carcass of any dead dog, cat, or ferret exposed to rabies shall upon demand be surrendered to the animal control officer.
K. No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any dog, cat, or ferret for quarantine or destruction as required in this section when demand is made therefor by the animal control officer.
L. Payment of any fees incurred and the cost of boarding the dog, cat, or ferret shall be the responsibility of the person owning, keeping or harboring the animal. Further, the payment of fees incurred in the cost of euthanasia arid the sending of an animal for rabies testing shall be the responsibility of the person owning, keeping or harboring the animal. If the animal is a stray or wild animal without a custodian, the bite victim or their legal guardian, shall be responsible for payment of fees. (Ord. 1510, 8-8-2000; amd. Ord. 1563, 3-25-2003; Ord. 1837, 12-13-2022)