(a) Leash required. No owner or person in charge of any dog or cat, whether or not such dog or cat has attached to it a license tag, shall cause or permit such dog or cat to run at large or be upon a street, sidewalk or public place within the town, unless such dog or cat is on a leash and accompanied by its owner or some other person in charge of such dog or cat.
(b) Impoundment. If any dog or cat shall be found running at large or unleashed in the town in violation of subsection (a) above, it shall be taken up and impounded in the town pound, or other designated proper facility, by the Police Chief or other person designated as a humane officer, and securely kept subject to the provisions of this article.
(c) Town to provide or designate pound; notification of owner; redemption. The town shall provide, or designate and make provisions for the use of, a pound where all dogs and cats taken up under the provisions of this section shall be impounded, and where such dogs and cats so taken up and impounded shall be kept, housed and fed for five days or the allotted amount of time specified by the pound; provided that, if such dog or cat shall have attached to it a license tag, it shall be the duty of the person in charge of the pound to promptly give written notice to the owner of such dog or cat by mailing such notice, return receipt requested, to such owner at the address shown upon the records of the County Assessor. The owner of such dog or cat may redeem the same by paying $7.50, the cost of notification or actual charge of housing of animal from the shelter or pound. An additional charge will be added for the violation of § 505.14(b) of this article. The animal will be ticketed under this section and will not be released until both impoundment fees and ticket is paid in full.
(d) Disposal. The person in charge of the pound shall hold any dog or cat brought to him or her for a period of at least five days, at the expiration of which time, if such dog has not been redeemed as provided in subsection (c) above, such animal may be put to death, or, if the animal is worthy in value, it may be sold at public auction to the highest bidder at 2:00 p.m. of the day next succeeding the last day of the five-day period or at any time thereafter; provided that, no dog or cat shall be sold for less than the fee required for redemption, as provided in subsection (c) above; and, provided further that, the impounding and killing or sale of any such dog or cat shall not relieve the owner thereof from prosecution for the violation of subsection (a) above.
(e) Penalty. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than $15, nor more than $100.
(Ord. passed 6-10-1986; Ord. passed 1-14-1997)