A. All animals impounded under the provisions of this chapter shall be disposed of as provided by law; provided, that no impounded dog shall be disposed of until after written notice has been given by the poundmaster or his designee to the owner of said dog as provided in this chapter. If the dog is licensed under the provisions of this chapter and a city license tag is affixed to the collar of the dog, the notice shall be given to the owner at the address set forth in the city licensing records. If the dog is not licensed and there is no license tag attached to the collar of the dog, no notice need be given, unless the unlicensed dog is impounded pursuant to section 5-3-18 of this chapter and the dog owner's address is known by the poundmaster or any animal control officer. If no person appears and redeems the dog within five (5) days from the date of mailing of the notice or within five (5) days after the dog was impounded, whichever is later, the poundmaster shall cause the dog to be disposed of in any lawful manner.
B. If any unlicensed dog, or any dog bearing no license tag, is taken up and impounded under the provisions of this chapter, and is not redeemed within five (5) days of impoundment, the poundmaster may, in his discretion, at any time thereafter, humanely destroy such dog or turn over to the SPCA for disposal.
C. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, an impounded animal that is not redeemed within the specified holding period, whether due to a failure to satisfy monetary obligations or otherwise, shall be considered to be abandoned by its owner and shall become the property of the city. Thereafter, such animal may be adopted or euthanized. Abandonment does not relieve the owner's obligation to pay all fees related to the impounding and keeping of the animal. (Ord. 2009-04, 9-22-2009)