The following words as used in this Title shall have the following meanings:
A. "Abandon" means to desert, forsake, or absolutely give up an animal without having secured another owner or custodian for the animal or by failing to provide the elements of basic care as set forth in § 6.01.060 for a period of 48 hours or more.
B. "Adequate care" or "care" means the responsible practice of good animal husbandry, handling, production, management, confinement, feeding, watering, protection, shelter, transportation, treatment, grooming, the provision of veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering or impairment of health and, when necessary, euthanasia, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal.
C. "Adequate exercise" or "exercise" means the opportunity for the animal to sufficiently move to maintain normal muscle tone and mass for the age, species, size and condition of the animal.
D. "Adequate feed" means access to, and the provision of, food which is of sufficient quantity and nutritive value to maintain each animal in good health; is accessible to each animal; is prepared so as to permit ease of consumption for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal; is provided in a clean and sanitary manner; is placed so as to minimize contamination by excrement and pests; and is provided at suitable intervals for the species, age, and condition of the animal, but at least once daily, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species.
E. "Adequate shelter" or "shelter" means provision of, and access to, shelter that is suitable for the species, age, condition, size, and type of each animal; provides adequate space for each animal; is safe and protects each animal from injury, rain, hail, direct sunlight, standing water, the adverse effects of heat or cold, physical suffering, and impairment of health; is properly cleaned; enables each animal to be clean and dry, except when detrimental to the species; and for dogs and cats, provides a solid surface, resting platform, pad, floor mat, or similar device that is large enough for the animal to lie on in a normal manner and can be maintained in a sanitary manner. Under this Title, kennels whose wire grid or slat floors do not protect the animal's feet or toes from injury are not adequate shelter.
F. "Adequate space" means sufficient space to allow each animal to (I) easily stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements in a comfortable, normal position for the animal and (ii) interact safely with other animals in the enclosure. When an animal is tethered, "adequate space" means a tether that permits the actions in (I) and (ii) and is appropriate to the age and size of the animal according to professionally accepted standards for the species; is attached to the animal by a properly applied collar, halter, or harness configured so as to protect the animal from injury and prevent the animal or tether from becoming entangled with other objects or animals, or from extending over an object or edge that could result in the strangulation or injury of the animal; and is at least eight (8) feet in length, except when the animal is being walked on a leash or is attached by a tether to a lead line. When freedom of movement would endanger the animal, temporarily and appropriately restricting movement of the animal according to professionally accepted standards for the species is considered provision of adequate space.
G. "Adequate water" means provision of, and access to, clean, fresh, potable water of a drinkable temperature which is provided in a suitable manner, in sufficient volume, and at suitable intervals, but at least once every twelve hours, to maintain normal hydration for the age, species, condition, size and type of each animal, except as prescribed by a veterinarian or as dictated by naturally occurring states of hibernation or fasting normal for the species; and is provided in clean, durable receptacles which are accessible to each animal and are placed so as to minimize contamination of the water by excrement and pests or an alternative source of hydration consistent with generally accepted husbandry practices.
H. "Ambient temperature" means the temperature surrounding the animal.
I. "Animal" means any non-human vertebrate species including fish except those fish captured and killed or disposed of in a manner consistent with contemporary practices.
J. "Animal shelter" means a facility operated by any locality, for the purpose of impounding or harboring seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, or unwanted animals; or a facility operated for the same purpose under a contract with any county, city, town, or incorporated humane society or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.
K. "Collar" means a well-fitted device, appropriate to the age and size of the animal, attached to the animal's neck in such a way as to prevent trauma or injury to the animal. A chain is not considered an acceptable collar except during training sessions under the direct supervision of an owner or handler.
L. "Companion animal" means any domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat, non-human primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human food or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird, or any animal under the care, custody, or ownership of a person or any animal which is bought, sold, traded, or bartered by any person. Agricultural animals, game species, or any animals regulated under federal law as research animals shall not be considered companion animals for the purposes of this Title.
M. "Direct and immediate threat" means any clear and immediate danger to an animal's health, safety or life.
N. "Emergency veterinary treatment" means veterinary treatment to prevent or alleviate suffering, stabilize a life-threatening condition, or to prevent further transmission or progression of disease.
O. "Enclosure" means structure used to house or restrict animals from running at large or harming themselves and should be of appropriate size for the age, species and condition of the animal consistent with generally accepted husbandry standards for the species.
P "Euthanasia" means the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that involves instantaneous unconsciousness and immediate death or by a method that involves anesthesia, produced by an agent which causes painless loss of consciousness, and death during such loss of consciousness.
Q. "Exhibitor" means any person or business who shows or handles any animals for public or private purposes.
R. "Groomer" means any person, who, for a fee, cleans, trims, brushes, makes neat, manicures, or treats for external parasites, an animal.
S. "Grooming" means maintaining an animal's coat and body condition in an appropriate state for the age and species of the animal, including such things as cleaning, trimming, thinning, or brushing the coat, manicuring, and removing foreign objects.
T. "Housing facility" means any room, building, or area used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures.
U. "Humane" means any action taken in consideration of, and with the intent to provide for, the animal's behavioral and physical health and well being.
V. "Kennel" means any establishment in which four or more canines, six or more felines, or hybrids of either are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting, training, renting, buying, boarding, selling, or showing.
W. "Livestock" includes all domestic or domesticated: bovine animals (cattle type); equine animals (horse type); ovine animals (sheep type); porcine animals (pig type); cervine animals (deer like); caprine animals (goat type); ratite animals (ostrich type); enclosed domesticated rabbits or hares raised for human food or fiber; or any other individual animal specifically raised for food or fiber, except companion animals.
X. "Owner" means any person who:
(i) has a right of property in an animal,
(ii) keeps or harbors an animal,
(iii) has an animal in his care, or
(iv) acts as a custodian of an animal.
Y. "Person" means any individual, partnership, firm, joint-stock company, corporation, association, trust, estate, or other legal entity.
Z. "Pet shop" means an establishment where companion animals are bought, sold, exchanged, or offered for sale or exchange to the general public.
AA. "Poultry" includes all domestic fowl and game birds bred in captivity.
BB. "Primary enclosure" means any structure used to immediately restrict an animal or animals to a limited amount of space, such as a room, pen, cage, compartment, or hutch. For tethered animals, the term includes the shelter and the area within reach of the tether.
CC. "Properly cleaned" means that carcasses, debris, food, waste, and excrement are removed from the yard, property, house and primary enclosure with sufficient frequency to minimize the animal's contact with the above-mentioned contaminants; that the primary enclosure is sanitized with sufficient frequency to minimize odors, insects, and the hazards of disease preventing the animals confined therein from being directly or indirectly sprayed with the stream of water, or directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous chemicals or disinfectants.
(Ord. MC-1214, 2-22-06)
DD. "Properly lighted" means sufficient illumination to permit routine inspections, maintenance, cleaning, and housekeeping of the housing facility, and observation of the animal; to provide regular diurnal lighting cycles of either natural or artificial light, uniformly diffused throughout the animal facilities; and to promote the well- being of the animals.
EE. "Sanitize" means to make physically clean and to remove and destroy, to a practical minimum, agents injurious to health.
FF. "Transportation" or "transport" means the responsible handling, moving or shipping of animals in the person's ownership, custody or charge, appropriate for the age, species, condition, size and type of the animal.
GG. "Veterinary treatment" means treatment by, or on the order of, a duly licensed veterinarian.
HH. "Wild, exotic, dangerous, poisonous or non-domestic animals" means any animals not specifically addressed within this Title.
(Ord. MC-1214, 2-22-06)
II. "Registered Animal" means a purebred dog, recognized by and registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC), United Kennel Club (UKC), or other national registry.
(Ord. MC-1241, 3-06-07)