(A) Interference with an officer or investigation. No person shall hinder or otherwise interfere in any manner with any special municipal officer discharging and exercising his or her duty in enforcing this subchapter.
(B) Animal cruelty.
(1) It is unlawful for any person to torture, deprive of necessary sustenance, cruelly beat, mutilate, kill needlessly, poison, abandon, permit combat between animals or to carry in a cruel and inhumane manner, any animal, or to cause any of these acts or omissions to be done. It shall be unlawful for any person owning an animal to fail to provide adequate amounts of food and drink which shall consist of access to food and drink of sufficient quantities and quality to maintain basic health.
(2) It shall be unlawful to fail to provide the animal with necessary “adequate shelter” and protection from extreme temperatures and precipitation. It shall be unlawful for any person to not provide medical attention and treatment to prevent suffering, or to cause any of the acts or omissions to be done. Ownership or the commission of such acts of cruelty on private property shall not be justifiable defense for violation of this subchapter as investigated by a special municipal officer or law enforcement officer.
(3) It is unlawful to leave a dog or cat unattended in a motor vehicle when the temperature is 70°F or above unless, in the opinion of the special municipal officer or law enforcement officer, adequate ventilation and water is provided.
(4) The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in the injury to a domestic animal shall immediately stop and render such assistance as may be possible and shall take reasonable steps to notify the owner of said animal or give notice of such accident to a law enforcement officer.
(5) It is unlawful and specifically deemed to be animal cruelty, to abandon, leave behind when moving, drop off or dump any unwanted animal within the town.
(C) Dog or cat licensing required. No owner or custodian shall maintain any dog or cat over six months of age in the town without registering and licensing the dog or cat in the town annually. Written proof of current rabies vaccination from a licensed veterinarian must be provided at time of licensing. Current license tags issued to dogs or cats must be worn by the dog or cat when the dog or cat leaves the owner’s property.
(D) Dogs and cats are allowed. Limit of four total dogs or cats per residence. No individual, custodian or caretaker shall have or maintain more than a total combination of four dogs or cats more than six months of age on any property within the town.
(E) Running at large.
(1) Every owner, owner’s agents, caretakers or representatives shall, at all times, maintain their dogs or cats on the owner’s property. When not on the owner’s property, the dog or cat shall be under the control of a person of sufficient ability, to control the animal either by leash, cord or chain or in an enclosed vehicle, or in a town designated off-leash dog park.
(F) Removal of feces requirements. It shall be unlawful for an owner or any person having charge or control of any dog to permit such animal to defecate and to allow the feces to remain upon any public street, sidewalk, pathway, park, pedestrian way or any public facility, or on any private property not owned or possessed by the owner or person having the charge or control of such animal unless the person shall immediately and securely enclose all feces deposited by the animal in a bag, wrapper or other suitable container and to dispose of the feces in a sanitary manner.
(G) Disturbing or barking dogs. No dog owner or their agents shall permit the dog to disturb others by habitually, constantly and/or frequently barking, howling, or whining for extended periods of time. The testimony of the special municipal officer or law enforcement officer based upon personal observation is competent evidence upon the issue of whether an animal has disturbed the peace of any neighborhood or person.
(H) Vicious dogs. No owner, agent or custodian shall keep, harbor or maintain any dog which is, or has the propensity to unprovoked aggressive behavior by acting in an “aggressive manner” which endangers the lives or the real or personal property of others.
(1) Evidence that dog is vicious. Proof of the fact that the animal without provocation has bitten or attacked any person or any person’s animal at any place where a person or their animal is legally entitled to be is evidence that the animal is vicious within the meaning of this section.
(2) Home quarantine. Home quarantine may be allowed as determined by the town special municipal officer or Municipal Court Judge, if the alleged vicious animal’s owner or custodian presents proof that the dog is currently licensed in the town and further by presenting a valid and current vaccination record showing the animal has been vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian.
(3) Vicious dog may be destroyed. A licensed or unlicensed dog may be destroyed for acting in an aggressive manner having attacked any person or having seriously injured another person’s dog or cat only upon a guilty finding by the court of jurisdiction. The court, at its discretion, may order the animal to be evaluated for rehabilitation. In the event rehabilitation is not possible, any law enforcement official, including a town special municipal officer, may arrange for the immediate and humane destruction of any adjudicated animal.
(I) Chasing/harassing wildlife or other animals. No owner shall permit his or her dog to harass or chase any other animal, whether domesticated or wild. Nothing herein shall limit or prevent a peace officer or game warden from exercising their discretion to act pursuant to W.S. § 23-3-109.
(J) Keeping wildlife prohibited. No person shall keep, harbor or restrain by tether or enclosure of any nature, any wildlife as defined by W.S. § 23-1-101(xiii).
(K) Disposal of animal remains. No person shall delay in promptly disposing of the remains of any deceased dog, cat or other animal at a proper disposal location such as a designated landfill location, pet cemetery or on the owner’s property. The owner may only dispose of the remains on the owner’s property if it does not create an unsafe, unsanitary or malodorous condition.
(L) No individual, custodian or caretaker shall have or maintain farm animals such as cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigeons, rabbits on any property within the Town.
(Prior Code, § 12.01.050) (Ord. 2015-05, passed 7-8-2015; Ord. 2022-06, passed 7-20-2022)
Penalty, see § 10.99