A. Cruel Treatment:
1. No person or owner may beat, cruelly treat, torment, starve, overwork or otherwise abuse an animal.
2. No owner may abandon any animal where it may become a public charge or may suffer injury, hunger or exposure.
B. Owner's Duties: No person or owner shall fail to provide any animal in their charge or custody as owner or otherwise, with the following:
1. Sufficient quantity of good quality, wholesome, food that is appropriate for the species to maintain good health and fresh, drinkable water (outdoor animals must have a constant supply of fresh water available);
2. Adequate shelter as all animals are to be kept in a clean, sanitary and healthy manner and are not confined so as to be forced to stand, sit or lie in its own excrement; and protection from the weather including quarters that are protected from excessive heat and cold;
3. Regular and sufficient veterinary care to prevent suffering and maintain health; provide the required rabies vaccination and if diseased or injured, or exhibiting symptoms of disease, provides proper veterinary care; and
4. Humane care and treatment: pens, kennels and runs must be of sufficient size to permit the animal to exercise and move about freely.
C. Sheltering: When a person or owner chooses to keep a companion dog confined outside, it must be in accordance with Owner's Duties (as listed above). A person or owner shall provide the dog with constant access to fresh, drinkable water and appropriate shelter. The dog shelter shall allow the dog to remain dry and protected from elements. The shelter shall have 4 sides, a solid roof sloped away from the entrance, and a dry floor raised above the ground. The shelter shall be placed to provide shade from the sun and protection from the weather. During bouts of extreme cold the shelter must be just large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around when fully grown and allow retention of body heat, the entrance must be covered by a flexible wind-proof material, self-closing door or other form of wind block, and must contain clean, dry bedding, which must consist of an insulated material that does not retain moisture, such as straw or woodchips, of sufficient depth for the dog to burrow and nest. During bouts of extreme heat, the shelter must be shaded by trees, a tarp, or a tarp-like device to provide protection from weather related injuries.
D. Extreme Weather Conditions: No person or owner shall allow a companion dog to remain outdoors, tethered, or penned during a period of extreme weather. All dogs shall be provided access to a temperature controlled shelter in accordance with Sheltering (see above), during cases of extreme weather as indicated above. In no instance shall a dog remain outdoors, tethered, or penned at or under the age of 6 months or while sick, injured or in distress.
E. Transporting Animals: No person or owner driving a motor vehicle shall transport any animal in the back of the vehicle in a space intended for any load unless the space is enclosed or has side and tail racks to a height of at least 46 inches extending vertically from the floor, or the animal is cross tethered to the vehicle, or is protected by a secured container or cage in a manner which will prevent the animal from falling, jumping or being thrown from the vehicle.
F. Tethering: To lawfully tether a dog outdoors, an owner must ensure that the dog:
1. Meets all requirements as laid out in the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act, (510 ILCS 70/3) Section 3.b. and
2. is not permitted while tethered to bark, whine, howl or make excessive noises so as to cause a nuisance; and
3. is not tethered if an unsupervised dog in estrus;
4. is not tethered at a vacant structure or premises for any purpose or time when it is not monitored by a competent adult who is present at the property for the duration of such tethering.
G. Confinement in Motor Vehicle:
1. No person or owner shall confine any animal in a motor vehicle in such a manner that places it in a life or health-threatening situation by exposure to a prolonged period of extreme heat or cold, without proper ventilation, or other protection from such heat or cold.
2. In order to protect the health and safety of an animal, an animal control officer, law enforcement officer, or Illinois Department of Agriculture licensed humane investigator who has probable cause to believe that this Section is being violated shall have authority to enter such motor vehicle by any reasonable means under the circumstances after making a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other person responsible.
H. Abandonment:
1. No person or owner shall abandon any domestic animal on their own property without daily care, or by abandonment off the owner's premises, where it may suffer injury, hunger, exposure, or become a public charge.
2. No person or owner shall release any domestic rabbit, ferret, prairie dog, hedgehog or other mammal, reptile or bird not native to this area, expecting it to fend for itself for food, shelter and protection.
I. Poisoning:
1. No person or owner shall knowingly set out poison(s) or cause to be poisoned any dog, cat or other domestic animal except by expressed permit from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
2. This Section does not prohibit the use of a euthanasia drug by a euthanasia agency for the purpose of animal euthanasia, provided that the euthanasia drug is used by or under the direction of a licensed veterinarian or certified euthanasia technician, all as defined in and subject to the Humane Euthanasia in Animal Shelters Act.
J. Entertainment, Fighting or Baiting Animals: No person may own, operate, manage, maintain, charge admission to, or be a patron at any place used for the purpose of fighting or baiting any bull, bear, dog, cock or other animal.
(Ord. O-201711-51-031, passed 11-14-2017; Ord. —, passed 3-16-2020)