(a) A person who owns an animal or who owns or operates an animal facility, must comply with each of the following conditions, the failure of which is a misdemeanor:
(1) Housing facilities for animals must be structurally sound and maintained in good repair to protect the animals from injury, contain the animals, and restrict the entrance of other animals.
(2) All animals must be supplied with sufficient food and water suitable for the age, species, and nutritional requirements of the animal. Animals must have access at all times to potable water, unless otherwise directed by a veterinarian. All animal food must be properly stored to prevent contamination, infestation by vermin, and exposure to the elements.
(3) Animals must be groomed and kept in a manner that is not injurious to their health. All animal buildings or enclosures must be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition to control odors and prevent the spread of disease.
(4) All animals must be maintained in a manner to eliminate excessive and nighttime noise.
(5) No animals may be without attention for more than twelve (12) consecutive hours; whenever an animal is left unattended at a commercial animal facility, the telephone number of the code enforcement division, or the name, address, and telephone number of the responsible person, must be posted in a conspicuous place at the front of the property.
(6) Animals may not be neglected, teased, abused, mistreated, annoyed, tormented, or in any manner made to suffer.
(7) No condition may be maintained or permitted that is or could be injurious to the animals.
(8) Tethering of animals is prohibited except as permitted under California Health and Safety Code Section 122335.
(9) Animal buildings and enclosures must be constructed and maintained to prevent escape of animals. All reasonable precautions must be taken to protect the animals and the public.
(10) An animal facility must isolate sick animals so as to not endanger the health of other animals.
(11) A building or enclosure for animals must be kept in a sanitary condition and in good repair and must be constructed of material easily cleaned. The building must be properly ventilated to prevent drafts and to remove odors. Heating and cooling must be provided to meet the physical need of the animals, with sufficient light to allow observation of the animals and proper sanitation. An animal facility must be equipped with working smoke alarms and have means of fire suppression, such as a sprinkler system in each room where animals are kept, or functioning fire extinguishers.
(12) An animal must be taken to a veterinarian for examination or treatment if the code enforcement officer orders the owner or custodian to do so.
(13) All animal enclosures, including, but not limited to, rooms, cages, and kennel runs, must be of sufficient size to provide adequate and proper accommodations for the animals housed there. An enclosure with a wire bottom may be used temporarily for dogs, and only if it complies with Health and Safety Code Sections 122065 and 122065.5. If enclosures, such as crates and other mobile enclosures, are stacked upon one another, or on a surface other than the floor, the crates/enclosures must be securely fastened and designed and arranged so that: there is no danger of an enclosure falling; the animals do not have direct access to one another; and waste from one enclosure cannot be transmitted to another enclosure. Food and water containers must be secured to prevent spillage. Crates may be stacked no more than two crates high.
(14) A violation of an ordinance must be corrected within the time specified by the code enforcement officer.
(15) Proper shelter and protection from the weather must be provided at all times.
(16) An animal must not be given any alcoholic beverage, unless prescribed by a veterinarian.
(17) Animals that are natural enemies, temperamentally unsuited or otherwise incompatible, must not be housed together, or so near each other as to cause injury, fear, or torment. Two (2) or more animals can be housed together if they do not harm each other.
(18) Any tack, equipment, device, substance, or material that is, or could be, injurious or cause unnecessary cruelty to any animal may not be used.
(19) Working animals must be given adequate rest periods. Confined or restrained animals must be given appropriate exercise.
(20) An animal that is weak, exhausted, sick, injured, lame, or otherwise unfit may not be worked or used.
(21) An animal that the city has suspended from use may not be worked or used until released by the city.
(22) Animals bearing evidence of malnutrition, ill health, unhealed injury, or having been kept in an unsanitary condition may not be displayed.
(23) An animal whose appearance is or may be offensive or contrary to public decency may not be displayed.
(24) No animal may be allowed to constitute or cause a hazard, or be a menace to the health, peace, or safety of the community.
(25) A person may not violate any condition imposed by the code enforcement officer on any license issued by the code enforcement division.
(26) Transporting Dogs in Open Vehicles Prohibited When, Section 10.80.010.
(b) It is unlawful for a person to transport any dog in or on the back or bed of any open truck or other open vehicle while traveling on any city road, street, highway, lane, or alley, unless the dog is cross tethered to a harness or the back or bed of the vehicle is partially enclosed by stakes, racks, or other similar devices that rise at least two feet, nine inches above the tops of the sides and back of the vehicle, and are designed to prevent the dog from falling or escaping from the vehicle.
(c) Sale of live animals prohibited at swap meet. Live animals may not be displayed, sold, or promoted for sale at a swap meet. "Live animal" includes, but is not limited to, dogs, cats, birds, fish, poultry, rabbits, and livestock.
(d) Sale of animals on shelter property. Animals may not be sold or otherwise transferred to another person at animal care centers unless authorized by the code enforcement officer.
(e) Records required for each animal at animal facilities.
(1) A person who has an animal facility license must keep available for inspection on the premises the following records:
(A) The name and current contact information of the owner of each animal kept at the animal facility;
(B) The date the animal entered and left the animal facility, including any animal that died while at the facility;
(C) The reason that the animal was at the facility, such as for boarding, sale, breeding, or grooming;
(D) The description of the animal, including its age, breed, sex, color, and other available identifying information, such as an animal license number, tattoo, or microchip registration number.
(f) A current, valid rabies certificate must be maintained for every dog and cat older than four months of age while the dog or cat is kept at the animal facility.
(g) Any animal facility selling dogs and/or cats to the public must post a notice containing the breeder's name, address, and license number on each dog or cat's cage. If the breeder's name is not known, the name and address of the person from whom the dog or cat was obtained must be displayed.
(h) A violation of any requirement of this section is a misdemeanor.
(i) Excessive animal noise.
(1) Excessive noise. It is unlawful for an owner or custodian of an animal to allow the animal to emit any excessive noise after the code enforcement officer has issued a written warning notice of an excessive noise complaint. For purposes of this section, the term "excessive noise" means a noise that is unreasonably annoying, disturbing, offensive, or that unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. An owner or custodian who fails to abate the noise within ten (10) days after the warning is mailed may be cited.
(2) Complaints. All complaints to the code enforcement officer regarding violations of subdivision a. must be made in writing, signed under penalty of perjury, and must include the name, address, and telephone number of the complainant(s), as well as the address of the animal owner or custodian and a description of the noise, including the date(s) and approximate times of the excessive noise.
(3) Administrative citation. Violators of this section are subject to citation under this chapter 3.36, and to any other applicable penalties.
(j) Animal nuisance.
(1) Definition. An animal nuisance arises when an animal bites or otherwise injures a person, attacks other animals, is repeatedly at large, damages and/or strays on private or public property, or otherwise interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property.
(2) Violation. When the code enforcement officer receives a complaint of an animal nuisance, it will issue a written notice to the owner or custodian of the animal advising of the nuisance and ordering the owner to correct the nuisance. An animal owner or custodian who fails to immediately correct the animal nuisance after receiving written notice from the code enforcement officer is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(k) Waste removal. A person who owns or has custody of a dog (except a visually-impaired person with a guide dog) is required to remove the dog's feces immediately from public property or private property not owned or possessed by the owner or custodian of the dog. The dog's feces must be disposed of in a sanitary manner. A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to one hundred dollars ($100).
(l) Wild animals-enclosure requirements. Wild animals must be maintained in buildings, enclosed yards, paddocks, or cages, as specified by the code enforcement officer, and must be kept at distances from adjacent buildings as specified in applicable zoning and health code laws.
(m) Transportation of wild animals. A person transporting a wild animal through the City of La Puente must take adequate precautions to protect the public, and must notify the code enforcement officer if an animal escapes.
(n) Liability of animal care facilities for acts of employees. An act or omission of an employee of a city-approved animal care facility in caring for animals is assumed to be an act or omission of the animal care facility. (Ord. 961, § 2, 2019)