(a) Domestic dog and cat bites resulting in human exposure to rabies.
(1) Any bite wound exposing an individual to the possibility of rabies or other zoonotic disease (hereinafter “incident”) shall be immediately reported to the police by the victim and by the owner, keeper or harborer of the dog or cat if the incident is known to him or her. Any such dog or cat bite which requires medical treatment shall be reported within 24 hours to the City Clerk or Animal Control Officer.
(2) It shall be the duty of every owner or keeper of any dog or cat upon receiving notice or having knowledge of the involvement of his or her pet in a human exposure to the possibility of rabies or other zoonotic disease by biting to immediately place such animal in a duly licensed veterinary medical facility, or in a location recommended by the permit authority, where such animal shall be isolated and confined for observation for ten consecutive days from and including the day of the incident. It shall be unlawful for the owner, keeper or person harboring the animal involved in such incident to release it from his or her custody or to hide or conceal such animal or to take or allow such animal to be taken beyond the limits of the city, unless so authorized by the permit authority or designee, until the period or confinement and observation here are completed. The owner or keeper of such animal involved in an incident shall be liable for the cost of confinement and observation. The death or any suspicious change in the health or behavior of any such dog or cat undergoing observation shall be reported as soon as possible by the observing authority to the permit authority or designee. The permit authority or designee is hereby authorized to authorize confinement other than described above as he or she finds medically appropriate, providing such animal will be controlled and observed in accordance with the owner’s signed agreement, but only if such dog or cat has been vaccinated for prevention of rabies and is duly licensed as provided by the this article. Unless determined otherwise by the permit authority or qualified designee, exceptions to the aforesaid confinement may be granted for the following cases:
(A) Where a female dog is nursing un-weaned puppies or a female cat is nursing un-weaned kittens.
(B) If the investigating officer determines both:
(i) That the incident occurred while the animal involved was confined and legally kept upon the property of the owner.
(ii) That the person injured was upon the property without the express or implied consent of the owner and was not there performing functions of a job. However, if a person injured in an incident or his or her parent or guardian in the case of a minor, desires that the animal be impounded even though an exception to impoundment has been granted as aforesaid and agrees in writing to pay for its board during the period of confinement, it shall be impounded in the manner and for the period specified earlier, unless determined otherwise by the Animal Control Officer or the designated authority upon review of the facts and circumstances the incident.
(b) Dangerous animal investigation. If any dangerous, fierce or vicious dog, cat or other animal believed involved in an incident (as the term “incident” is used in definitions) cannot be safely captured or prevented from escaping by usual means, such animal may be slain by a police officer or animal control officer. In all cases where such animal may have exposed a person to rabies and is slain before the completion of the observation period stipulated for the species by the permit authority, it shall be the duty of the person slaying such animal to forthwith deliver or cause to be delivered all the remains of such animal including the undamaged head to the Animal Control Officer. A departure from this procedure must be requested of and authorized by the permit authority.
(c) Powers of Animal Control Officer. In the event that the Animal Control Officer or the city’s designated authority determines that a rabies or other zoonotic disease control emergency exists, she/he shall so declare, stating the boundaries of the affected area and she/he is hereby empowered to issue emergency regulations and take all necessary steps within the provisions of this chapter and state law to abate the threat. Such emergency steps and regulations shall be in effect only during the period of the declared emergency.
(d) Disposal of waste. The owner or keeper of every animal, when such animal is off the property controlled by the owner or keeper, shall be responsible for the removal of any fecal matter before taking animal from the immediate area where such excretion occurred.
(e) Dead animals. All dead animals shall be removed and legally disposed of by the owner or proprietor of the premises within 12 hours after the death of such animal. If not so removed, such animal shall be removed by the permit authority at actual cost to the property owner or proprietor.
(f) Parasite control. No person shall offer for sale, sell or give away any dog or cat unless such animal has been dewormed or certified in writing by a duly licensed veterinarian to be free of intestinal helminths in order to prevent the spread of such to other animals and humans.