It shall be the duty of the animal control officer and police department to see that a licensed or unlicensed dog found running at large is taken up and impounded in the municipal animal shelter, and such dog may be so taken up without the necessity of filing a complaint, and shall be impounded and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
(A) Record Of Impounded Animals: The animal shelter shall keep a record of each animal impounded by it, the date of receipt of such animal, the date and manner of its disposal; and if redeemed, reclaimed or sold, the name of the person by whom redeemed, reclaimed or purchased, the address of such person and the amounts of all fees received or collected for or because of the impounding, reclaiming or purchasing thereof, together with the number of any tag and the date of any tag exhibited or issued upon the redemption or sale of any such animal.
(B) Redemption Of Impounded Dogs; Fees:
1. Any dog impounded as a licensed or unlicensed dog may be redeemed and taken from such pound by the owner or any authorized person who:
(a) Exhibits to the supervisor or person having charge of said animal shelter a certificate of registry as provided in section 6-4-2 of this chapter showing that the license in said section imposed has been paid for such dog or verified by animal shelter records.
(b) Pays the person in charge of said animal shelter an impounding fee which fee shall be set by the operator of the animal shelter and shall be used by the shelter to reimburse its costs of operation.
(c) Pays a board fee, which shall be set by the director of the animal shelter and shall be used by the shelter to reimburse its costs of operation.
(d) Presents a current certificate showing that said dog has been vaccinated with antirabies vaccine by a licensed veterinarian or verification can be ascertained by animal shelter staff from the licensed veterinarian office records. In the event a current rabies certificate is not available, the redemptioner shall deposit a fee to cover the cost of a rabies inoculation. The redemptioner shall next cause the animal to be vaccinated against rabies. The animal shelter will transmit from the deposit an appropriate sum to the veterinarian providing for the vaccination. The city council shall, by resolution, set a uniform rabies inoculation fee.
2. Licensed dogs shall be held in impoundment for a maximum period of seven (7) days from the date of initial impoundment during which time reasonable efforts shall be made to notify the owner, keeper or possessor of such impounded dog. All impounded dogs which are licensed shall be redeemed by the owner, keeper or possessor thereof within seventy two (72) hours of notification of impoundment. Any licensed dog not redeemed within said seventy two (72) hour period or held for seven (7) days if notification is not able to be made shall become the property of the animal shelter and the animal shelter may offer for sale any such dog, with all monies generated from said sale going to the animal shelter.
3. All impounded, unlicensed dogs not redeemed within forty eight (48) hours from the time of impoundment shall become the property of the animal shelter and the animal shelter may offer for sale any of said dogs and monies generated from said sale shall be payable to the animal shelter.
4. The adoption fee for any dog so impounded shall be set by the operator of the animal shelter and shall be used by the shelter to reimburse the costs of the adoption program.
5. All dogs that are not sold or redeemed may be destroyed in a humane manner. It shall be unlawful to destroy or allow to be destroyed any dog impounded until the expiration of the time limits herein specified. The animal shelter senior supervisory staff may destroy any dog prior to the expiration of said time limits when:
(a) Ordered by the court.
(b) The animal shelter senior supervisory staff impounds or receives any dog which is severely injured or infected by a contagious disease other than rabies, and, in the animal shelter senior supervisory staff's sound judgment, the recovery of said dog is doubtful.
6. All licenses, fees and charges are payable to the animal shelter. (Ord. 2882, 11-6-2006)