(A) Picking up stray and vicious animals. Any person on whose property a vicious, abandoned, or stray animal or animal running at large is found may contact the animal control officer for pickup. Where an animal is not vicious or dangerous, but harmless and non-threatening to persons or animals, has been inoculated with a proper and effective rabies vaccine, and carries a license tag securely fastened to its collar, the animal control officer may issue to the known owner or keeper of the animal a notice of chapter violation in lieu of impoundment.
(B) Notice to owners or keepers. Upon impoundment of the animal, the Animal Shelter will exercise due diligence to ascertain and notify by reasonable means the owner or keeper of the animal’s impoundment. If the owner or keeper claims the animal within five business days of impoundment, the animal control officer or Animal Shelter shall notify such person of the terms for the animal’s release.
(C) Release of impounded animals. An owner or keeper may obtain release of the impounded animal within five business days of impoundment upon satisfactory proof of ownership, by payment of an impoundment fee and boarding fee per animal and upon presentation of a current rabies inoculation certificate.
(D) Period of impoundment and disposition of unclaimed animals. An impounded animal which remains unclaimed by an owner or keeper after five business days shall be deemed abandoned and shall automatically and irrevocably become the sole property of the Animal Shelter to convey, devise, dispose by euthanasia as the Animal Shelter determines appropriate.
(E) Disposition of vicious animals. If the animal is vicious, dangerous, or a threat to staff maintaining custody or to other impounded animals, the animal control officer and/or Animal Shelter shall have discretion to reduce the duration of time of impoundment in order to exercise property rights, convey, devise, dispose, or destroy the animal.
(F) Unauthorized release from impoundment. No person may release from impoundment any animal placed by the animal control officer in impoundment, without meeting the requirements of this chapter and the rules and regulations of the Animal Shelter.
(Ord. 16-08, passed 4-4-16; Am. Ord. 16-22, passed 9-6-16)