(A) Dogs running at large may be taken by the Dog Warden, Animal Control Officer or any peace officer and impounded in the animal shelter and there confined in a humane manner.
(B) Any cat found to be sick or injured shall be declared to be a public health hazard, and may be seized by the Dog Warden, Animal Control Officer or any peace officer and impounded in the animal shelter and there confined in a humane manner.
(C) The Dog Warden, Animal Control Officer or any peace officer may impound any cat committing acts which constitute a nuisance as defined in § 90.03. Any cat impounded shall be transported forthwith to the animal shelter and there confined in a humane manner.
(D) (1) All impounded dogs and cats, excepting feral cats, shall be kept for not less than 5 days, unless reclaimed or relinquished by their owner or keeper. Upon impoundment, if an owner is known, the Animal Control Officer shall immediately notify the owner by either telephone, written notice left at the residence, or regular mail, of the impoundment of the animal. An animal not claimed or relinquished by its owner or keeper within 5 days of its impoundment may be placed in a suitable new home, or humanely euthanized as determined by the officials of the Animal Control Shelter.
(Am. Ord. 4-01, passed 5-22-2001; Am. Ord. 2-02, passed 1-8-2002; Am. Ord. 2018-01, passed 3-27-2018)
(2) In the event that an animal is to be adopted out rather than euthanized, the prospective adoptive owner shall first purchase a rabies vaccination voucher from the Animal Control Shelter, and shall have the animal sexually altered, if not already, within 10 days of the adoption, and forthwith provide proof of the alteration to the Animal Control Shelter.
(Am. Ord. 11-01, passed 9-11-2001; Am. Ord. 2018-01, passed 3-27-2018)
(E) An owner or keeper reclaiming an impounded animal shall pay boarding, vaccination, redemption, and other related costs, as deemed necessary and proper and established and approved by the Woodford County Fiscal Court. This cost schedule shall be posted conspicuously at the Woodford County Animal Shelter. Proof of vaccination for rabies shall be provided before the animal is released. If proof is not provided, the owner or keeper shall purchase a rabies vaccination voucher from the animal shelter before the animal is released.
(Ord. 2-96, passed 6-25-1996; Am. Ord. 9-99, passed 3-23-1999; Am. Ord. 2-02, passed 1-8-2002; Am. Ord. 2018-01, passed 3-27-2018)
(F) In the event that the Fiscal Court directly provides and maintains an animal shelter, it shall do so for the sole and express purpose of sheltering and impounding stray dogs and cats captured in the county; dogs and cats previously subjected to cruel or injurious mistreatment; and for harboring vicious dogs for any requisite period of time. Any county-owned and controlled facility shall not house or harbor animals brought in from other counties, or animals dropped off by their owners to be adopted out.
(Ord. 11-01, passed 9-11-2001)
(G) (1) All impounded puppies age 6 weeks to 6 months shall be vaccinated immediately upon intake with an all-in-one combo shot to prevent distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza, also known as a DHPP vaccination shot, to be administered by a Woodford County Animal Control Officer (ACO). The shot serum is to be provided either by a licensed distributor of USDA approved veterinary serum or a licensed veterinarian.
(2) If, at the time of impoundment, the age of a puppy cannot be definitively determined, for purposes of this division (G), a PUPPY shall be further defined as a dog whose adult canine teeth have not fully erupted.
(3) Puppies for whom prior DHPP shot administration can be documented upon intake are exempt. Documentation must include the proprietary name of the product; the manufacturer name; the serial/lot number; the date the vaccination was administered; the expiration date of the vaccine administered; and proof as to by whom the vaccination was administered.
(4) Documentation of vaccines administered by an ACO pursuant to this provision shall be included in the records of all vaccinated puppies. The ACO shall record the source of the shot (distributor or veterinarian), with the label from the vaccine affixed to any record relative to the vaccinated puppy.
(5) Prior to administering these shots, Woodford County Animal Control Officers shall complete a basic shot administration training session with a licensed veterinarian or technician. A certificate of completion of training shall be secured and kept on file at the Woodford County Animal Shelter in each officer’s personnel file.
(6) The cost of this vaccination shall be borne by the owner and paid along with all other impound fees upon securing the animal’s release. The controlling cost shall be posted at the Woodford County Animal Shelter along with all other impound-related fee information.
(Ord. 2008-12, passed 6-10-2008)