(A) Any healthy dog or cat apprehended or impounded may be redeemed by the owner or other persons as authorized in § 92.19 of this chapter within five days of such apprehension upon showing that the dog has a current registration tag and the dog or cat has a current rabies vaccination tag, and upon the payment of the following fees:
(1) If the dog or cat has been apprehended by an agent of the town, the fee set forth annually by the Department of Animal Services; and
(2) A reasonable fee for room and board for each day or fraction thereof during which the dog or cat was impounded.
(B) After five days, the dog or cat may be destroyed or its possession given to the Department of Animal Services.
(C) Divisions (A)(1), (A)(2) and (B) above shall apply to any animal impounded under this subchapter.
(D) Any animal impounded, for any reason, which appears to any duly-licensed veterinarian to have any infectious or contagious disease other than rabies may be destroyed forthwith.
(E) Any person bitten by an animal must report the incident to the county’s Health Department.
(F) Any dog or cat apprehended and impounded for having bitten a person, being suspected of having bitten a person or appearing to have rabies shall be assessed by the Department of Animal Services to determine whether the bite constitutes the dog being dangerous or potentially dangerous. If so assessed, then the provisions of this subchapter related to those dogs shall supersede this section. Otherwise, the dog or cat shall be kept under observation at the Department of Animal Services for a minimum of ten days unless such dog or cat shall sooner die. At the expiration of said ten-day period, the animal may be redeemed by the owner or other persons as provided in § 92.19 of this chapter upon showing that the dog has a current registration tag, showing that the animal has a rabies vaccination tag and payment of the fees as set forth in division (A) above, provided, however, that home quarantine of an owned animal may be allowed by the county’s Health Department.
(Ord. 2011-2, passed 5-3-2011)