For the purposes of this Chapter, the following definitions are adopted and shall be used:
“ANIMAL” shall mean any animal, other than man, which may be affected by rabies. (510 ILCS 5/2.02)
“ANIMAL CONTROL WARDEN” means any person appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Village Board to perform duties enforcing this Code or any animal control official appointed and acting under authority of the Village Board. (510 ILCS 5/2.03)
“AT LARGE”. Any dog shall be deemed to be at large when it is off the property of its owner and not under the control of a responsible person.
“CAT” shall mean any feline, regardless of age or sex.
“CONFINED” means restriction of an animal at all times by the owner, or his agent, to an escape-proof building or other enclosure away from other animals and the public. (510 ILCS 5/2.05)
“DANGEROUS DOG” means:
(A) any individual dog anywhere other than upon the property of the owner or custodian of the dog and unmuzzled, unleashed, or unattended by its owner or custodian that behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses a serious and unjustified imminent threat of serious physical injury or death to a person or companion animal, or
(B) a dog that, without justification bites a person and does not cause serious injury.
(510 ILCS 5/2.052A)
“DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE” means the Department of Agriculture of the State of Illinois. (510 ILCS 5/2.06)
“DOG”. "Dog" means all members of the family Canidae. (510 ILCS 5.211)
“ENCLOSURE” means a fence or structure of at least six (6) feet in height, forming or causing an enclosure suitable to prevent the entry of young children, and suitable to confine a vicious dog in conjunction with other measures that may be taken by the owner or keeper, such as tethering of the vicious dog within the enclosure. The enclosure shall be securely enclosed and locked and designed with secure sides, top, and bottom and shall be designed to prevent the animal from escaping from the enclosure. If the enclosure is a room within a residence, it cannot have direct ingress from or egress to the outdoors unless it leads directly to an enclosed pen and the door must be locked. A vicious dog may be allowed to move about freely within the entire residence if it is muzzled at all times. (510 ILCS 5/2.11a)
“FERAL CAT” means a cat that:
(A) is born in the wild or is the offspring of an owned or feral cat and is not socialized,
(B) is a formerly owned cat that has been abandoned and is no longer socialized, or
(C) lives on a farm.
(510 ILCS 5/2.11b)
“HAS BEEN BITTEN” means has been seized with the teeth or jaws so that the person or animal seized has been nipped, gripped, wounded, or pierced, and further includes contact of saliva with any break or abrasion of the skin. (510 ILCS 5/2.12)
“INOCULATION AGAINST RABIES” means the injection of an anti-rabies vaccine approved by the Department. (510 ILCS 5/2.13)
“KENNEL” means any structure or premises or portion thereof on which more than three (3) dogs, cats, or other household domestic animals, over four (4) months of age, are kept or on which more than two (2) such animals are maintained, boarded, bred, or cared for in return for remuneration or are kept for the purpose of sale.
“LEASH” means a cord, rope, strap, or chain which shall be securely fastened to the collar or harness of a dog or other animal and shall be of sufficient strength to keep such dog or other animal under control. (510 ILCS 5/2.14)
“LICENSED VETERINARIAN”. “Licensed veterinarian” means a veterinarian licensed by the State in which he engages in the practice of veterinary medicine. (510 ILCS 5/2.15)
“OWNER”. “Owner” means any person having a right of property in an animal, or who keeps or harbors an animal, or who has it in his care, or acts as its custodian, or who knowingly permits a dog to remain on any premises occupied by him or her. “Owner” does not include a feral cat caretaker participating in a trap, spay/neuter, return or release program. (510 ILCS 5/2.16)
“POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG” means a dog that is unsupervised and found running at large with three (3) or more other dogs. (510 ILCS 5.17c)
“POUND”. “Pound” means any facility approved by the Administrator and licensed as such by the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of enforcing this Code and used as a shelter for seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, or unwanted dogs or other animals. (510 ILCS 5/2.18)
“RECKLESS DOG OWNER”. “Reckless dog owner” means a person who owns a dog that while anywhere other than upon the property of the owner, and without justification, kills another dog that results in that dog being deemed a dangerous dog under 510 ILCS 5/15.1 and who knowingly allows the dog to violate 510 ILCS 5/9 on two occasions within twelve (12) months of the incident for which the dog was deemed dangerous or is involved in another incident that results in the dog being deemed dangerous on a second occasion within twenty-four (24) months of the original dangerous determination.
“REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE”. “Registration Certificate” means a printed form prescribed by the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of recording pertinent information as required by the Department under the Animal Control Act. (510 ILCS 5/2.19)
“RESTRAINT”. A dog is under "restraint" within the meaning of this Code if it is controlled by a leash; within an enclosed vehicle being driven or parked on the streets; or within the property limits of his owner or keeper.
“SHADE” shall mean protection from the direct rays of the sun during the months of June through September.
“SHELTER”, as it applies to dogs, shall mean a moisture-proof structure of suitable size to accommodate the dog and allow retention of body heat, made of durable material with a solid floor raised at least two (2) inches from the ground and with the entrance covered by a flexible, windproof material. Such structure shall be provided with a sufficient quantity of suitable bedding to provide insulation and protection against cold and dampness.
“UNOWNED STRAY DOG”. “Unowned stray dog” means any dog not on the premises of the owner or keeper or under control by leash or other recognized control methods, and which does not, at that time and place, bear a current rabies inoculation tag issued pursuant to the provisions of this Code, by means of which, by reference to records of current registration certificates, the Administrator or his deputies or assistants may determine the name and address of the owner or keeper thereof, or some other means of identification from which the Administrator or his deputies or assistants may directly determine the name and address of the owner or keeper thereof. (510 ILCS 5/2)
“VICIOUS ANIMAL” shall mean any animal which has previously attacked or bitten any person, or which has behaved in such a manner that the person who harbors said animal knows or should reasonably know that the animal is possessed of tendencies to attack or bite persons.
“WILD ANIMAL” shall mean any live monkey or ape, raccoon, skunk, fox, snake, or other reptile, leopard, panther, tiger, lion, lynx or any other animal or any bird of prey which can normally be found in the wild state. (510 ILCS Sec. 5/24)