(a) No owner, keeper or harborer of any animals or fowl of any kind in the City shall allow or permit such animals or fowl to run at large upon any public place, or upon any unenclosed lands, or upon the premises of another.
(b) No owner, keeper or harborer of any dog or cat, whether wearing a registration tag or not, shall permit such dog or cat to run at large within the City. Unauthorized entry by such dog or cat, upon the premises of another or upon any public street or ground shall constitute "running at large" within the meaning of this section.
(c) No owner, keeper or harborer of any dog shall permit such dog to go or remain upon any public street or ground within the City except when accompanied by a responsible person, and upon a non-retractable leash of not more than six feet in length so as to prevent such dog from entering private property and from chasing or attacking any person, animal or vehicle; or shall fail to keep the dog under the reasonable control of some person. Any dog not properly on a leash will be considered "at large" and in violation of this section.
(d) The owner, keeper or harborer of a dog or other animal or fowl who permits it to run at large in violation of this section shall, in addition to the penalty provided in subsection (h) hereof, be liable for all damages caused by such dog or other animal or fowl upon the premises of another.
(e) Every owner, keeper or harborer of a female dog shall, during all times when such female dog is in heat, either confine such dog indoors or treat her in such manner as not to attract other dogs.
(f) Any land which is enclosed with invisible fencing must have its boundary no less than six feet from public property and shall be clearly marked with flags.
(g) This section shall not apply to persons operating under the guidelines of a program approved by the Director of Safety for providing for the trapping, spaying, or neutering, and releasing of cats and dogs with the purpose of reducing the unwanted stray-animal population in the City.
(h) (1) Whoever violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree for a first offense.
(2) Whoever violates any provision of this section in a second or subsequent offense shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(3) In addition to any penalty provided under law for a violation of this section, the court shall order the offender to neuter or spay the dog within 14 calendar days of the date of conviction unless a licensed veterinarian provides evidence to the court's satisfaction that neutering or spaying of the dog is medically contraindicated.
(4) Notwithstanding the foregoing penalties, if a domestic animal or human is aggressively bitten by the dog without provocation as a result of a violation of this section, then whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. Additionally, the court shall order the offender to complete dog obedience training within a specified period of time and provide written proof thereof to the chief.
(Ord. 1-18. Passed 4-2-2018.)