No person shall own, keep or harbor a dangerous dog within the county except for the following exemptions:
(A) Dogs under the control of a law enforcement or military agency; and
(B) Adequate restraint of a dog defined as dangerous is supplied as follows.
(1) Owners of dangerous or vicious dogs who maintain their dogs out-of-doors shall humanely confine their dog inside a commercial or “TE Scott” type pen or kennel of adequate size . The walls of the pen or kennel should be set back from the property boundary by a minimum of 12 feet and may not share a common fencing with any perimeter fence. The kennel or pen must have six foot tall secure sides and a secure top attached to all sides. The sides must either be buried two feet into the ground, sunken into a concrete pad or securely attached to a wire bottom. The gate to the kennel shall be of the inward-opening type and shall be kept padlocked except when tending to the animal’s needs such as cleaning the kennel or providing food and water. The fence shall be sufficient to prevent the dog’s escape, with all points of entrance and exit securely locked at all times.
(2) A “Beware of Dog” sign shall be conspicuously displayed on each exterior side of the enclosure for each 50 feet of enclosure, minimum of two, as well as a sign on each entrance or exit point to the enclosure. Signs shall be a minimum of ten inches high and 14 inches long.
(3) The owner or keeper shall, prior to placing dogs on his or her property:
(a) Allow an inspection of his or her property to assess that he or she has met the confinement requirements of this subchapter;
(b) Shall pass said inspection;
(c) Have the dog(s) microchip registered, at his or her own expense; and
(d) Provide the microchip registration number to the Humane Society of Putnam County.
(4) The owner or keeper shall report to his or her local law enforcement agency within one hour of knowledge of any of the following:
(a) Escape of the dog;
(b) An attack on a human or animal by the dog;
(c) Transfer of ownership of the dog; and
(d) Death of the dog.
(5) Whenever the dog is outside of its enclosure as provided for in this division (B), but on the owner’s property, it must be attended by the owner and restrained by a secure collar and leash of sufficient strength to prevent escape. The leash shall be no longer than ten feet and the animal must be kept at least 15 feet within the perimeter boundaries of the property unless the perimeter boundary is securely fenced.
(6) No vicious or dangerous dog shall be chained, tethered or otherwise tied to any inanimate object such as a tree, post or building, outside of its own enclosure as provided for in this division (B).
(Ord. 2006-12-18, passed 12-18-2006) Penalty, see § 90.999