(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to commit cruelty to any animal. A person commits cruelty to an animal when that person knowingly:
(1) Confines the animal in a manner so that is forced to stand, lie or sit in its own excrement;
(2) Fails to provide an exercise quarter of at least 24 square feet;
(3) Fails to provide living quarters of sufficient size to exercise or move about;
(4) Fails to provide quarters that are protected from excessive heat or cold;
(5) Fails to keep an animal in a clean, sanitary and healthy manner;
(6) Deprives an animal of proper veterinary care or necessary sustenance;
(7) Tethers an animal with a choke collar;
(8) Tethers an animal on a leash of less than 12 feet in length;
(9) Tethers an animal on a leash of a weight that prevents the animal from moving about freely;
(10) Abandons, overworks, tortures or torments any animal;
(11) Unjustifiably kills, wounds or attempts to kill any domestic animal in a cruel manner;
(12) Allows an animal to remain unattended by a competent person in a motor vehicle when the outside ambient air temperature exceeds 80°F or confines an animal in an area without adequate air circulation;
(13) Crops an animal’s ears, docks an animal’s tail or performs any surgeries except as a licensed veterinarian of the state; or
(14) Causes, instigates, permits or attends any dogfight or other combat between animals or between animals and humans.
(B) Any person who causes, instigates, permits, facilitates, aids, abets or encourages any violation of this section shall be guilty of the violation.
(C) Animals that have been treated cruelly as defined in division (A) above shall be impounded and may be given veterinary care at the owner’s expense and may be euthanized at the owner’s expense when appropriate in the judgment of the Animal Control Officer or veterinarian to prevent further suffering, if there is a plea or finding of guilty, the defendant shall be responsible for all costs, including any veterinary costs and the cost of impoundment, from the date of impoundment through the conclusion of the court proceedings. However, regardless of whether the owner is found guilty of the charge(s) brought or not, the owner shall be responsible for any and all veterinary costs incurred during impoundment.
(Ord. 08-07-01, passed 7-22-2008) Penalty, see § 92.99