(A) No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain a dog over six months of age that has not been immunized, by a licensed veterinarian, against rabies. Such immunizations and term of quarantine shall be in accordance with state laws, rules and regulations.
(B) (1) Every dog, or other animal, which bites a person or domesticated animal shall be promptly reported to the city’s Police Department, and shall thereupon be placed under quarantine by the Animal Services Officer at a location to be determined at the discretion of the Animal Services Officer. In cases of stray animals, in the cases of animals whose ownership is not known, and in the cases of animals for which proof of immunization is not available, such quarantine shall be at the Animal Shelter or humane society.
(2) If a domesticated animal is bitten by another animal, an Animal Control Officer may request that the domesticated animal be placed under quarantine by its owner for ten calendar days at a quarantine location to be determined by the officer. Animals placed under quarantine shall not be released from such quarantine until the Health Officer receives a signed statement from the owner or custodian of the animal certifying that the animal is alive and well. If the person bitten is a child, it shall be the duty of the parent or the guardian to make such report immediately. If the person bitten is an adult, such person shall, himself or herself, make the report or, if incapacitated, it shall be reported by whoever is caring for the person bitten. The Animal Services Officer shall promptly report all animal bite cases to the Health Officer.
(C) The owner or custodian of an animal placed under quarantine shall not permit the animal to leave the premises without the permission of the Health Officer, shall keep the animal under restraint at all times, shall observe the animal at least twice daily to see that it is alive and well and shall immediately notify the Health Officer or Police Department if the animal should escape, be killed, become ill or die.
(D) No person shall kill, or cause to be killed, any domestic animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any domestic animal biting a person, or remove same from the city limits without written permission from the Health Officer or Animal Services Officer.
(E) No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction as required herein when demand is made therefor by the Health Officer or the city’s Police Department.
(F) If death should occur to an animal which has bitten a person within the past ten days, the owner or person responsible for the animal shall retain the body of the animal and immediately report the death to the Health Officer or the city’s Police Department. In the case of a biting animal which is not owned or a biting animal whose owner cannot be located or is unknown, the person who has knowledge of the death of such an animal shall immediately report it to the Health Officer or the city’s Police Department. Any wild animal that bites a human and is able to be captured shall be humanely euthanized at once.
(G) The Animal Shelter is exempt from this section.
(H) The state statutes and state regulations governing rabies, immunization, impoundment and disposal of suspected rabid animals is hereby incorporated by reference, including any subsequent changes as enacted by the state legislature and/or the state’s Board of Health and any other appropriate state or federal agencies. The county’s Health Officer and his or her designated agents and the city’s Police Department and any other person or persons as authorized by the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety are hereby authorized to carry out the provisions of any city regulations, state laws and federal laws or regulations governing rabies control, the impoundment of animals and the disposal of suspected rabid animals.
(Prior Code, § 91.08) Penalty, see § 90.999