The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER: The person, firm or agency appointed or designated by the Chief of Police for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this chapter and shall include, without limitation, police officers, and Code Enforcement Officers.
ANIMAL RESCUE GROUP: Any organization qualified as a nonprofit organization under title 26, United States Code, section 501(c)(3), along with their affiliated foster homes, operating for the sole purpose of rescuing stray dogs and cats.
ANIMAL SHELTER: Any facility operated by a humane society, the City or its authorized agent, for the purpose of impounding animals under the authority of this chapter or State law for care, confinement, return to the owner, adoption or euthanasia.
ANIMALS, ABANDONED: The voluntary relinquishment of an animal with no intention to retain possession including, but not limited to, vacating a premises and leaving the animal in or at the premises, failing to feed and/or water an animal, allowing an animal to stray or wander onto public or private property with the intention of surrendering ownership or custody over said animal.
ANIMALS, AGRICULTURE: Any type of animal that is normally housed on farm, ranch or agricultural area, including, but not limited to, bovine, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys and other equines, hogs, goats, rabbits, sheep, chicken, ducks, geese, turkey, guinea, other types of fowl and poultry.
ANIMALS, DOMESTIC: All vertebrate and invertebrate animals that have been tamed and domesticated, and are normally housed within a human residence as a pet, and not for the purpose of production or human consumption, including, but not limited to dogs, cats, potbellied pigs, ferrets, rabbits, non-poisonous or non-venomous reptiles, fish or birds.
ANIMALS, LARGE: An animal weighing in excess of fifty (50) pounds.
ANIMALS, MEDIUM: An animal weighing between twenty five (25) pounds and fifty (50) pounds.
ANIMALS, OLDER OR ILL HEALTH: Animals unable to be spayed or neutered without a high likelihood of suffering serious bodily harm or death due to age or infirmity. Written confirmation from a licensed veterinarian is required to meet this definition.
ANIMALS, SERVICE: Dogs trained by a professional trainer, to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair or fetching dropped items.
ANIMALS, SMALL: An animal weighing less than twenty five (25) pounds.
ANIMALS, THERAPY: Animals trained by a professional trainer, to provide affection and comfort to various members of the public, typically in facility settings such as hospitals, retirement homes and schools. Therapy animals have no special rights of access, except in those facilities where they are welcomed.
AT LARGE OR RUNNING AT LARGE: The condition of any dog or cat or other animal when it is off the property of the owner or persons responsible for the animal's care and maintenance and not under the control of a competent person which is a minimum of twelve (12) years of age.
CAT: Shall mean and include any cat, and every other animal of feline species which is situated within the City limits.
CHICKEN: A laying hen that is commonly raised for egg production.
CHICKEN COOP: A small structure or enclosure where chickens nest, roost or perch and may include feeding and water devices.
CHICKEN RUN: An enclosed area physically connected to a chicken coop where chickens can walk or run about which may include feeding and watering devices.
CONFINED ON THE PREMISES: That condition in which a dog or cat or other animal is securely and physically confined and retained on and within the premises of the owner, keeper or harborer by means of chains, walls or fences, floors or roofs as may be needed.
CRUELTY: To endanger the life, health, or safety of an animal.
DANGEROUS DOG: Any dog that has inflicted injury on a human being without provocation on public or private property, or any dog that has previously been found to be potentially dangerous, the owner having been given notice of such by the animal control authority and the dog thereafter bites, attacks, or endangers the safety of humans or kills or inflicts injury upon a domestic animal.
DOG PARK: A securely fenced City owned public area designated by the City of Grove for domestic dogs to run and play without a leash.
EXPOSED TO RABIES: A bite or physical contact with the saliva or other potentially infectious tissues from an animal confirmed or suspected of being infected with rabies.
FERAL CAT: Any cat which has escaped domestication and become wild.
HARBORING: Any person who allows any animal to habitually remain or lodge or to be fed within its home, store, yard, enclosure, or place of business or any other premises in which such person resides or controls, shall be considered as harboring such animal. An animal shall be deemed to be harbored if it is fed or sheltered for ten (10) consecutive days or more.
IMPOUNDMENT: Placing an animal in the animal control vehicle or unit or holding an animal in custody at the animal control shelter.
KEEPER: Any person, acting in the capacity of the owner, at the owner's request, who is responsible for the care, welfare and maintenance of the animal.
KENNELS (INDOOR PENS): An establishment with indoor pens in which more than four (4) dogs or domesticated animals more than eight (8) weeks old or older are housed, groomed, bred, boarded, trained and/or sold for commercial purposes.
KENNELS (OUTDOOR PENS): An establishment with outdoor pens in which more than four (4) dogs or domesticated animals more than eight (8) weeks old or older are housed, groomed, bred, boarded, trained and/or sold for commercial purposes.
MINIATURE HORSE AND DONKEYS: Horse or donkey whose confirmation is such that the animal is or would be capable of being recognized as a miniature under the standards of a national miniature horse or miniature donkey raiser's association.
NEUTERED MALE: Any male dog or cat which has been operated upon by a veterinarian to render the animal sterile and unable to impregnate a female animal.
NUISANCE: An animal is a nuisance when by loud, frequent or habitual barking, howling, yelping or other noise or action it disturbs any person or neighborhood within the City limits. Any animal which scratches or digs into any flowerbed, garden, tilled soil, shrubbery, and in so doing injures the same, or which habitually urinates or defecates in or on yards, gardens, trees or shrubs, or prowls around or over any premises not the property of the owner, to the annoyance of the owner or occupant of such premises, or which overturns any garbage can or vessel for waste products, or scatters the contents of same, or an animal which chases or kills any fowl or animal owned by another is also declared a nuisance. A female dog or cat in season at large is declared to be a nuisance.
Any animal is a nuisance that chases, frightens or otherwise intimidates passersby or passing vehicles when said animal is not on its owners' property; or attacks other animals; or trespasses; or is repeatedly at large; or inflicts damage on the property of others, either public or private.
OWNER: Any person, firm, or corporation, owning, keeping, possessing, harboring or having the care or custody of an animal, and shall include all persons having joint or collective care or custody of the animal, except a kennel or cattery proprietor as herein defined or a veterinary establishment.
PET: Any animal kept for pleasure rather than utility.
PET SHOP: A retail establishment offering small animals, fish and/or birds for sale as pets, where such creatures are housed within the building, and which may include the grooming of dogs, cats and similar animals.
POTBELLIED PIG: A miniature pig having a maximum weight of seventy five (75) pounds and twenty inches (20") in height, which is kept as a pet for personal enjoyment, and not raised for human consumption. Such animal shall be registered through a bona fide registry firm such as American Miniature Pig Association (AMPA).
RESTRAINT: An animal is under restraint within the meaning of this chapter if: a) it is controlled by a leash not more than six feet (6') in length or b) at "heel" beside a competent person and obedient to that person's command or c) confined on the premises of its owner, keeper or harborer or d) confined in a secure carrier or by a secure fencing or enclosure or e) confined in a vehicle.
SANITARY: Any condition of good odor and cleanliness, which precludes the probability of disease transmission and insect breeding, and which preserves the health of the City.
SEVERE INJURY: Any physical injury resulting in broken bones or lacerations requiring surgery or sutures.
SPAYED FEMALE: Any female dog or cat which has had its ovaries surgically removed by veterinarian.
STRAY: Any animal which does not appear, upon reasonable inquiry, to have an owner.
TETHER: Restraining an animal with a chain, rope, cord, leash or similar item to limit the perimeter access of an area; but shall not include the use of a leash when walking an animal.
TETHER, CABLE RUN: To restrain an animal by means of a tether attached to a pulley on a cable run.
TETHER, DIRECT POINT: To restrain an animal by tying to any stationary object or structure, including, but not limited to, a house, tree, fence, post, garage or shed, by any means.
VACCINATION: An injection of U.S. Department of Agriculture approved rabies vaccine administered by a veterinarian, other licensed individual, or individual approved by the Oklahoma Veterinarian Board.
VENOMOUS ANIMAL: Any species of animal which is venomous to human beings whether its venom is transmitted by bite, sting, touch or other means.
VETERINARIAN: A person who holds an active license to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Oklahoma.
VICIOUS ANIMAL: An animal which:
A. Has a propensity, tendency, history or disposition to attack, to cause injury to, or to otherwise endanger the safety of humans or other domestic animals, and the lack of knowledge of such a propensity, tendency, history or disposition is not a defense in violation thereof; or
B. Approaches humans or other domestic animals in a vicious or terrorizing manner; or
C. Has attacked a human being or domestic animal one or more times without provocation; or
D. Has behaved in such a manner that the owner thereof knows or should reasonably know that the animal has tendencies to attack or bite human beings or other animals; or
E. Commits an attack on a person or animal without provocation; or
F. Threatens to attack, or terrorizes a person who is performing in a legal means within his rights as a person.
G. Any animal owned or harbored for the purpose of fighting, such as a dog trained for dogfighting which is an illegal act.
H. This definition shall not apply to police dogs on official duty. The term "police dog" shall mean any dog used by a law enforcement agency of this State or political subdivision of this State which is specially trained for law enforcement work and is subject to the control of the dog handler. The term "dog handler" shall mean any police officer or peace officer who has successfully completed training in the handling of police dogs as established by policy or standard of the law enforcement agency employing such officer.
WILD ANIMAL: Any live monkey (nonhuman primate), raccoon, skunk, fox, poisonous snake, leopard, panther, tiger, lion, lynx, insect or other exotic animal not generally recognized to be domesticated or which, because of size, vicious nature or any other characteristic, presents a danger to human beings.
All other words or phrases used herein shall be defined and interpreted according to their common usage. (Ord. 643, 5-15-2012; amd. Ord. 649, 7-17-2012; Ord. 658, 10-16-2012; Ord. 712, 10-20-2015; Ord. 743, 12-19-2017)