A. Authority To Enforce:
1. It shall be the duty of animal control officers and others specifically designated by the chief of police to enforce any of the provisions of this chapter or statutes of the state as they pertain to animals.
2. The animal control officers and others designated by the chief of police are authorized to go onto private property in order to enforce this chapter or to take up any animal which is found at large or take up any dog found without required inoculation, licensing, or identification tags; however, such persons may not enter a private dwelling house for this purpose without a valid warrant or the consent of an occupant.
B. Interference With Enforcement Prohibited: No person shall, in any way, interfere with any person who is known to such person to be or who identifies himself to be a village employee or officer enforcing provisions of this chapter or engaged in catching or impounding any animal under the authority of this chapter. Any person convicted of a violation of the provisions of this subsection will be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00).
C. Impoundment Of Animals Which Have Bitten Persons:
1. Any animal, whether under restraint or not, which shall have bitten or otherwise injured any persons so as to cause an abrasion of the skin shall be immediately taken, impounded, and kept separated from other animals for ten (10) days. In case the animal cannot be safely taken up and impounded, it may be killed, care being taken to preserve the head intact which shall be detached and immediately delivered to the diagnostic laboratory of the department of agriculture.
2. The victim of such bite and animal control shall notify the county department of health of the bite within twenty four (24) hours.
3. If, during the ten (10) day period, such animal develops symptoms of illness, a veterinarian shall diagnose its condition. If the symptoms disclose or are such as to indicate the presence of rabies, the animal shall be destroyed, however, as to preserve intact the head, which shall thereupon be detached and immediately sent to the diagnostic laboratory of the department of agriculture.
4. If, at the expiration of the period of ten (10) days, no symptoms of rabies have developed in such animal so impounded, the same may be redeemed by the owner or keeper upon payment of the redemption fees and charges specified in this chapter.
5. After having been notified that the animal has bitten or otherwise injured any person, the owner or keeper thereof shall not, under, any circumstances, permit such animal to be outside of his premises except on a leash with a responsible adult until the procedures prescribed in this subsection have been completed. Failure of the owner or keeper of an animal impounded or to be impounded in accordance with this subsection or comparable section of state law, to adhere strictly to the provisions of this subsection shall subject such owner or keeper to punishment as provided in section 6-5-18 of this chapter. The provision of this subsection shall be a positive duty of the owner or keeper, and the offense described herein shall be a strict liability offense.
D. Notice Of Impoundment: The county animal pound shall notify the owners or keepers of animals impounded pursuant to this chapter, if known to them, of the fact of impoundment.
E. Redemption Of Impounded Animals:
1. Any animal impounded under the provisions of this chapter, except any that may have bitten any person, shall, unless sooner redeemed, be held until said animal may be disposed of pursuant to subsection F of this section in order to afford opportunity to the owner or keeper thereof to redeem the same.
2. Any owner or keeper desiring to redeem an impounded animal shall pay an impounding fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) per animal, payable to county animal control center in the form of cash, cashier's check or money order and, in addition, to the county the cost of keeping such animal while impounded. The impounding fee shall be paid by the owner or keeper at the county animal control center. The fees for the cost of keeping the animal, plus any additional fee for inoculation, shall be paid at the county animal pound.
3. In case any dog has not been inoculated against rabies for the current calendar year, the owner shall also advance the fee required to have such dog inoculated by the duly licensed veterinarian, and the administrator of the pound shall forthwith cause the dog to be inoculated for the current calendar year, or in accordance with the requirements of the department of agriculture.
4. The impounding fees for each animal that is impounded within a two (2) year period shall be as follows:
First offense | $ 50.00 |
Second offense | 75.00 |
Third offense | 100.00 |
Fourth and each subsequent offense | 150.00 |
F. Disposition Of Unredeemed Animals:
1. Any dog or other animal, except animals bearing owner identification or inoculation tags, impounded pursuant to the provisions of this chapter which shall not be redeemed within three (3) working days shall be humanely destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the director of the county animal pound.
2. Any dog validly licensed or with owner identification tags and impounded pursuant to the provisions of this chapter which shall not be redeemed within seven (7) working days shall be humanely destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the director of the county animal pound.
3. Any "vicious animal", as defined in section 6-5-1 of this chapter, shall not be destroyed unless impounded under any provision of this chapter. (Ord. 2007-10, 12-18-2007)