A. It is the duty of every physician, veterinarian or other practitioner to report to the Grove animal control officer the names and addresses of persons treated for bites inflicted by animals, together with such other information as will be helpful in rabies control.
B. It is the duty of every licensed veterinarian to report to the Grove animal control officer his diagnosis of any animal observed by him to be a rabid suspect.
C. Every animal, regardless of immunization status, that has bitten a person shall be reported within four (4) hours to the Grove police department or an animal control officer and, except as otherwise provided herein, shall thereupon be securely quarantined at a veterinarian hospital, within twenty four (24) hours from the time of the bite incident, for a period of ten (10) days from the date the person was bitten and shall not be released from such quarantine except by permission of the animal control officer of the city and the veterinarian in charge of the quarantined animal. Such quarantine will be at any veterinarian hospital chosen by the owner or in the owner's home if:
1. Animal meets criteria of currently vaccinated against rabies and meets the definition of "first party ownership" as defined in this code, and
2. Home quarantine site is approved by the animal control officer of the city.
3. Dogs, cats, or ferrets involved in a first party ownership may be allowed to be placed in a home quarantine for a ten (10) day period immediately following the bite.
4. Dogs, cats, and ferrets meeting the criteria of currently vaccinated against rabies, and not inflicting a severe injury, shall be placed in home quarantine until the end of a ten (10) day period from the bite. In some instances, a certification of animal health obtained after examination by a licensed veterinarian on the tenth day may be required by the Grove animal control authority.
5. Animals in service to the blind or hearing impaired, and search and rescue dogs or other animals used for the police enforcement duties shall be exempt from the quarantine when a bite exposure occurs and record of immunization against rabies is presented. A certificate of animal health obtained after examination by a licensed veterinarian at the end of ten (10) days may be required by the Grove animal control department.
6. Stray or unwanted dogs, cats, or ferrets that have bitten any person may be quarantined for ten (10) days at a veterinary facility or a recognized animal control facility; or immediately euthanized and the brain tissue submitted to the state department of health laboratory for rabies testing. Upon successful completion of the ten (10) day period, a stray animal may be placed for adoption at the discretion of the animal control authority.
7. In rare instances, other good and valid health reasons of the owner of animal may be considered for justification to home quarantine (e.g., a bitch with a litter of very young puppies, an animal with a contagious disease, etc.). Approval for home quarantine will be determined by the department or its designee.
Animal control officers will complete a bite report and submit it to the Grove police chief as soon as possible. If the bite was a severe injury the animal control officer of the city, shall make a determination of the disposition of the biting animal after consultation with the victim's physician, and based upon the risk of rabies in the particular animal.
D. In the case of a stray animal, or in the case of a dog or cat whose ownership is not known after diligent and reasonable efforts have been made by an animal control officer to determine ownership of such animal, such animal, dog or cat will be impounded immediately. In the case of unclaimed dog or cat that has bitten a person; such animals should be humanely euthanized and taken to a veterinarian for removal of the head for submittal to the state department of health for rabies examination. The final decision for animal destruction, quarantine, or other disposition of any animal other than a dog, cat or ferret that bites a person, or otherwise potentially exposes a person to rabies shall be determined by the animal control officer of the city.
E. In the case of an animal that has bitten a person and the ownership of such animal is known to an animal control officer but the owner refuses to have the animal quarantined as required by subsection C of this section, the animal control officer will direct the owner of such animal to have the animal quarantined as provided in subsection C of this section. If the owner refuses or does not have the animal quarantined within twenty four (24) hours from the time of the bite incident the animal control officer will issue a citation for failure to quarantine. Immediately thereafter, the animal control officer will file a petition in municipal court for a show cause order directing the owner of such animal to appear in municipal court and show why such animal should not be quarantined. The show cause hearing will be held at the next available municipal court proceedings and the court will determine the disposition of such animal.
F. Payment of fees incurred for daily boarding, euthanasia, preparation and transport of specimens for laboratory testing, or any other costs incurred to comply with this chapter, shall be the responsibility of the person or entity owning, keeping, or harboring the animal.
G. No person shall kill or cause to be killed any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any animal biting a human, except as provided in this chapter, or remove the animal from the city limits without written permission from the animal control officer of the city.
The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall upon demand be surrendered to the animal control officer.
H. The animal control officer shall keep or cause to be kept:
1. An accurate and detailed record of the licensing, impounding and disposition of all live animals, fowl and domestic birds coming into his custody and all dead dogs or cats picked up that possess rabies tags, and
2. An accurate and detailed record of all bite cases which have been reported to the police department or animal shelter.
I. Hospitals, clinics, other premises operated by licensed veterinarians for the care and treatment of animals and animal shelters are exempt from the provisions of this chapter, except where duties are expressly stated.
J. The licensing requirements of this chapter shall not apply to any dog or cat belonging to a nonresident of the city and kept within the city for no longer than thirty (30) days; provided all such dogs or cats shall at all times, while in the city, be kept within a building, enclosure or vehicle, or be under restraint by the owner. (Ord. 643, 5-15-2012; amd. Ord. 649, 7-17-2012)