A. Every animal that bites or scratches a person shall be reported within four (4) hours to the animal control officer and shall thereupon be securely quarantined at a veterinarian hospital for a period of ten (10) days from the date the person was bitten, and shall not be released from such quarantine except by permission of the animal control officer of the City and the veterinarian in charge of the quarantined animal. Failure of the owner or keeper to quarantine his animal within the four (4) hour period herein will make him guilty of an offense per the guidelines set in this chapter.
B. The owner, upon demand by any City officer or animal control officer, shall surrender any animal that has bitten or scratched a human, or which is suspected as having been exposed to rabies, for supervised quarantine testing or euthanasia, the expense for which shall be borne by the owner; and the animal may be reclaimed by the owner if adjudged free of rabies.
C. When an animal under quarantine has been diagnosed as being rabid, or suspected by a licensed veterinarian as being rabid, and dies while under such observation, the animal control officer or veterinarian shall immediately send the head of such animal to the State Health Department for pathological examination, and shall notify the proper Public Health Officer of reports of human contacts and diagnosis made of the suspected animal.
D. When one or both reports give a positive diagnosis of rabies, the health or animal control officer of the City may recommend a Citywide quarantine for a period of six (6) months; and upon the invoking of such quarantine, no animal shall be taken into the streets or permitted to be in the streets during such period of quarantine. During such quarantine, no animal shall be taken or shipped from the City without written permission of the animal control officer of the City.
E. During such period of rabies quarantine as herein designated, every animal bitten by an animal adjudged to be rabid shall be treated for such rabies infection by a licensed veterinarian, or held under six (6) months quarantine by the owner in the same manner as other animals are quarantined.
F. In the event there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended for an additional six (6) months.
G. No person shall kill or cause to be killed any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any animal biting or scratching a human, except as herein provided, nor to remove the animal from the City limits without written permission from the Health Officer of the City, or the animal control officer.
H. The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall, upon demand, be surrendered to the animal control officer.
I. The animal control officer shall direct the disposition of any animal found to be infected with rabies.
J. No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction as required herein when demand is made therefor by an employee empowered to enforce this chapter. Such refusal shall be deemed an offense per the guidelines of this chapter.
K. It is the duty of every physician, veterinarian or other practitioner to report to the animal control officer the names and addresses of persons treated for bites inflicted by animals, together with such other information as will be helpful in rabies control.
L. It is the duty of every licensed veterinarian to report to the animal control officer his diagnosis of any animal observed by him to be a rabid suspect.
M. The animal control officer shall keep or cause to be kept:
1. An accurate and detailed record of the licensing, impounding and disposition of all animals coming into his custody; and
2. An accurate and detailed record of all bite cases reported to the City, with a complete report of the investigation of each case. (Ord. 307, 7-9-2015)