(A) Because of the increased urbanization of the City of Menifee, the city has experienced increasing numbers of dogs and other animals being kept in close proximity to humans including children.
(B) The keeping of dogs and other animals in close proximity to adults and children has resulted in increasing incidents of attacks, biting and menacing behavior by such dogs and other animals.
(C) These incidents now present a public health and safety problem to the residents of this city and increasing numbers of cases have resulted in painful and/or serious injuries to adults and children, death and injuries to other animals, attendant economic losses to city residents, and anxiety to those bitten by unlicensed animals whose vaccination status is therefore not established.
(D) In an attempt to bring this problem under control, it is necessary to: (1) increase the total number of animals which are licensed and thus properly established to have been vaccinated against rabies; (2) encourage the spaying and neutering of animals, which (a) reduces the number of strays at large and not safely confined, (b) reduce aggressiveness and animals at large, and (c) reduces the financial cost to taxpayers of animal control services; and (3) establish a warning and hearing procedure to put the owners of potentially dangerous, dangerous dogs and other animals on adequate notice to control such animals and to bring about the confinement of such animals and the destruction of those animals where other lesser measures have failed or are inappropriate.
(Ord. 2018-252, passed 12-5-2018)