(a) Agreements for Impounding. The City Manager may enter into the necessary agreements with animal hospitals, shelters or farms to carry out the provisions of this chapter.
(b) Record of Impoundment. Upon impoundment, the responsible officer shall make a record of the animal impounded. Such record shall include, to the best of the officer's ability to determine, type, breed, color, and gender of the animal, whether or not the animal is licensed, and, if so, the name and address of the owner and the number of the license tag.
(c) Notice to Owner: Records. Upon impoundment, the animal shall be scanned for the presence of a microchip and surveyed for other identification. The Animal Control Officer shall make all reasonable and feasible attempts to notify the owner of the impounded animal by either telephone or letter. The Animal Control Officer shall record any attempt to notify the owner in the log used to record the impoundment of the animal. Such notice to the owner shall inform him of the procedure to regain custody of the animal.
(d) Boarding and Impoundment Charges. The owner or custodian who redeems an animal from an animal hospital, farm or shelter shall be liable for the boarding or impoundment charges. The owner of any boarded or impounded animal, even though he or she fails to redeem said animal, shall be liable for the boarding or impoundment charges.
(e) Disposition of Animals by City. Any animal, other than a dog, not tagged or identified and not redeemed within one business day, or any animal, other than a dog, tagged or identified but not redeemed within three business days, may be disposed of by death, gift or sale, with any sale proceeds to be applied to costs and the balance, if any, forfeited to the City. The owner of the hospital or shelter, is hereby made an agent of the City for this purpose, and such owner's actions in this regard are declared to be for a governmental purpose.
(f) Disposition of Large Animals. In the case of a large animal, such as a horse, cow, mule or any other animal not acceptable by an animal hospital or shelter, the officer may have a trucking firm convey the animal to a farm, and the disposition shall be handled as though it were in an animal hospital or shelter.
(g) Disposition of Dogs. Any tagged, microchipped, tattooed or otherwise identified dog not redeemed by the owner within seven days after notification is attempted or any dog whose owner cannot be ascertained, and not redeemed within three business days, shall be destroyed in a humane fashion, unless the animal can be placed for adoption or placed with a humane society licensed under the Animal Welfare Act of the State. Any animal which has bitten any person or has been declared a dangerous or vicious animal shall not be placed for adoption, but shall be destroyed in a humane fashion.
(h) Conditions of Redemption. If an owner of an impounded animal desires to make redemption thereof, he or she may do so upon the following conditions:
(1) Dogs.
a. Present proof of current rabies inoculation for the animal, or have the animal inoculated, if the animal has not been inoculated, if applicable;
b. Present proof that the animal is licensed in accordance with the laws of Stephenson County;
c. Pay any outstanding fines, fees or penalties imposed by the City and/or a court of law, including, but not limited to boarding and impoundment fees; and
d. Present proof of current microchipping or tattooing for the animal, if applicable, or have the animal microchipped or tattooed.
(2) Other Animals.
a. Pay any outstanding fines, fees or penalties imposed by the City and/or a court of law, including, but not limited to boarding and impoundment fees;
b. Statement by a licensed veterinarian that the animal is in compliance with any required inoculation and licensing requirements for the particular type of animal being redeemed.
(i) Boarding and Impoundment Charges. Any person who redeems an animal from the City animal pound shall pay to the City Clerk the sum of thirty five dollars ($35.00), plus an additional ten dollars ($10.00) per day for each day such animal is held in the City pound. Any person who redeems an animal from the City pound outside of the regular business hours of said pound shall pay to the City Clerk an additional amount of fifty dollars ($50.00). This fee is in addition to the fees set forth above.
(Ord. 2004-26. Passed 5-3-04; Ord. 2004-51. Passed 9-7-04; Ord. 2005-39. Passed 8-1-05; Ord. 2017-56. Passed 7-17-17.)