A. Any animal forfeited, abandoned, ownerless or unclaimed, and any other animals to be disposed of by the county enforcement agent, shall be:
1. Placed by adoption in a suitable home; or
2. Humanely destroyed; or
3. Transferred to a duly incorporated humane society or other nonprofit corporate animal-welfare organization devoted to the welfare, protection and humane treatment of animals. Transferred animals shall be placed by adoption in a suitable home after first being sterilized; humanely destroyed; or released as part of a community cat program.
B. As a condition of any transfer of animals under subsection (A)(3), the Pima Animal Care Center shall verify that any organization that receives animals is organized for the pursuit of animal welfare activities, is actively engaged in those activities, does not breed nor release unsterilized animals, releases animals only through community cat programs or through adoption into suitable homes after first being sterilized, and complies with the sterilization, placement, and all other applicable provisions of this section, this chapter, this title, and other applicable laws. Such verification shall include announced and unannounced inspections of the organization's facilities and records. The Pima Animal Care Center may repossess any animals and their offspring from any organization that is not in compliance with these conditions, and shall repossess these animals if the organization is not in compliance with the mandates set forth in subsection (A)(3), or if the organization or its personnel violate a cruelty law. Any organization wishing to receive animals must agree in writing to the terms of this subsection.
C. For the purposes of this section, a "community cat program" means a program in which healthy, free-roaming cats are humanely trapped or otherwise humanely captured, sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, ear-tipped, and returned to the location where they were found.
(Ord. 2014-36, § 1, 2014: Ord. 1998-46 § 1 (part), 1998)