(A) General.
(1) It shall be unlawful for an owner to fail to show proof of current inoculation against rabies with an approved vaccine (hydrophobia) for his or her dog. Should it be deemed necessary by the District Health Director, Board of County Commissioners or the State Public Health Veterinarian that other animals be vaccinated in order to prevent a threatened epidemic, or to control a current inoculation against rabies for that animal, then the agencies and/or boards may declare an emergency situation and order that all animals be inoculated. This section may be taken by the Board or County Commissioners by way of resolution adopted at a regular or special meeting.
(2) Any person failing to comply with this section shall be deemed in violation of this chapter.
(B) Bites; confinement. Every animal which has bitten anyone or which shows symptoms of rabies shall be confined immediately and shall be reported to an enforcement officer by its owners or persons having the animal in charge within 24 hours, and thereupon the animal shall be securely quarantined at the direction of the enforcement officer for a period of ten days, and shall not be released from the quarantine, except by written permission from an enforcement officer. The biting animal, and its records of vaccination and registration, shall be inspected by an enforcement officer who will then observe the following policy.
(1) A properly vaccinated dog may be confined on the owner's premises; provided, however, that, an enforcement officer determines that the owner has an adequate means of confinement upon his or her own premises and the animal is subject to observation by the officer at any time during the period of confinement.
(2) A dog not properly vaccinated, belonging to an owner, shall immediately be confined in a veterinary hospital or the animal shelter, in which case the expense shall be borne by the owner for the period of confinement. The dog shall not be vaccinated during confinement.
(3) A stray dog shall immediately be confined in the animal shelter for not less that a ten-day period.
(4) If a dog, after due and diligent effort, cannot be apprehended then it may be shot and the head submitted to the Health Department for shipment to the State Laboratory of Hygiene.
(C) Surrender for quarantine required on demand. Except as provided in division (A) above, it shall be unlawful for the owner to refuse an investigation by an enforcement officer upon demand of any animal which has bitten a human, for the purpose of supervised quarantine, the expense of which shall be borne by the owner. If rabies does not develop within ten days, the animal may be reclaimed upon payment of $2 per day for feeding and upon compliance with other provisions of this chapter.
(D) Rabies diagnosed. If an animal dies while under observation for rabies, then the head of the animal may be submitted to the District Health Department for shipment to the State Laboratory of Hygiene for diagnosis.
(E) Emergency quarantine and procedures.
(1) When reports indicate a positive diagnosis of rabies, the District Health Director shall order an area-wide quarantine for a period as he or she deems necessary; and, upon invoking of the emergency quarantine by the Health Director, no animal shall be taken into the streets, or permitted to be in the streets during the period. During the quarantine, no animal may be taken or shipped from the county without written permission of an enforcement officer and an enforcement officer is hereby fully authorized during the emergency to impound any animal found running at large in the county. During the quarantine period, an enforcement officer or the local health authorities shall be empowered to provide for a program of mass immunization by the establishment of temporary rabies vaccination clinics strategically located throughout the county.
(2) No animal which has been impounded by reason of its being stray or unclaimed by its owner, is allowed to be adopted from the animal shelter during the period of emergency rabies quarantine, except by special authorization of the public health officials.
(F) Destruction. Animals bitten by a known rabid animal shall be immediately destroyed by owner or an enforcement officer; provided that, any dog which has been vaccinated at least three weeks before being bitten, but not more than one year before, shall be closely confined in the animal shelter or at a veterinary hospital for a period of 90 days.
(G) Extended quarantine. In the event there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of quarantine, the period of quarantine may be extended at the discretion of the District Health Director. During the period of quarantine period, the District Health Director may require annual vaccination of dogs against rabies.
(H) Release unlawful. It shall be unlawful for any person to kill or release any animal under observation for rabies, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies or any animal biting a human, or to remove the animal from the county without written permission from an enforcement officer and the District Health Director.
(I) Carcasses. The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall be surrendered to an enforcement officer. The head of the animal from the county shall be submitted to the District Health Department for shipment to the State Laboratory of Hygiene for diagnosis.
(J) Failure to surrender. It shall be unlawful for any person to fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction, as required herein, when demand is made by an enforcement officer.
(Prior Code, § 3.1.03) Penalty, see § 90.99