[Adopted 8-21-2007 by Ord. No. 4-07]
A. 
Title. This article shall be known and cited as the "Price County Rabies Control Ordinance."
B. 
When effective. This article shall be effective upon passage and publication.
C. 
Appointment. The Price County Health Officer shall be an employee of the Health and Human Services Department upon appointment of the Director of the Department.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
D. 
Administration. This article shall be administered by the Health Officer, or designee, in cooperation with the Health and Human Services Board and the appropriate state agencies. The Health Officer shall have the power to ensure compliance with the intent and purpose of this article by any means possible under the law.
E. 
Interpretation. The provisions of this article shall be interpreted to be minimum requirements and shall be liberally construed in favor of Price County and shall not be deemed a limitation or repeal of any power granted by the Wisconsin Statutes.
Medical science has established that a number of small animals, including dogs, cats and ferrets, carry an infection commonly referred to as "rabies" which can be transferred to humans. This article is enacted as a public health measure to protect persons from infection as a result of a dog, cat or ferret bite.
The following definitions apply throughout the entire article. All other words not specifically defined in this article shall be defined as set forth in any applicable State of Wisconsin regulations, and if not defined otherwise the standard dictionary definition of the word shall apply.
ANIMAL
Any of the order Mammalian, all of which are capable of being infected with and transmitting rabies.
ANIMAL SHELTER
A public facility that is maintained by a government entity, or a private facility providing contractual services to a government entity, for the purpose of impounding or harboring animals.
BITE
The breaking, tearing or puncturing of the skin by the teeth of an animal.
CAT
Any domestic feline animal (Felis catus).
CURRENTLY VACCINATED AGAINST RABIES
Describes an animal that has received a primary rabies vaccine, or has received a booster vaccine, administered in accordance with the current Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control prepared and updated annually by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. Rabies vaccination must be performed by or under the direct supervision of a veterinarian who is licensed or legally permitted to practice veterinary medicine in the state.
DOG
Any domestic canine animal (Canis familiaris).
FERRET
Any domestic mustelidae animal (Mustela putorius furo).
HUMANE OFFICER
An officer appointed under § 173.03, Wis. Stats. [§ 95.21(1)(a), Wis. Stats.]
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
The owner's spouse and dependents as defined for federal income tax purposes.
ISOLATION
Confinement of an animal exposed or potentially exposed to rabies.
ISOLATION FACILITY
A humane society shelter, veterinary hospital, or municipal pound, or any other place specified by an officer which is equipped with a pen or cage which isolates the animal from contact with other animals. [§ 95.21(1)(am), Wis. Stats.]
NONBITE EXPOSURE
Saliva from an animal has come in contact with an open wound or a mucous membrane.
OFFICER
A peace officer, local health officer, as defined in § 250.01(5), Wis. Stats., humane officer, warden, an employee designated by the County Board of Supervisors or other person designated by the governing body of the County, city, village or town.
OWNER
A person who keeps, harbors, or has charge or control of or permits any animal to habitually be or remain on, or be lodged or fed within, his or her house, yard, or premises. This term shall not apply to veterinarians or kennel operators who have temporary custody, for a period of less than 60 days, of animals owned by others.
PEACE OFFICER
Has the meaning designated under § 939.22(22), Wis. Stats. [§ 95.21(1)(d), Wis. Stats.]
QUARANTINE
The strict confinement of an animal in a manner which precludes direct contact with other animals not concurrently in quarantine or persons other that the owner or caretaker. The quarantine shall be conducted under an order issued by the public health official or rabies control authority designating the specific place, manner and provisions of the quarantine.
RABIES CONTROL AUTHORITY
A government agency or person who or which is legally authorized and responsible for enforcement of this article.
VETERINARIAN
Has the meaning designated under § 453.02(7), Wis. Stats. [§ 95.21(1)(e), Wis. Stats.]
VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
Has the meaning designated under § 453.02(12), Wis. Stats. [§ 95.21(1)(em), Wis. Stats.]
WARDEN
Has the meaning designated under § 24.01(11), Wis. Stats. [§ 95.21(1)(f), Wis. Stats.]
A. 
This article shall apply to the cities, towns and villages in Price County, but this article shall not be applicable to any municipality which has in force a more restrictive ordinance providing for the quarantine of dogs, cats, or ferrets suspected of biting.
B. 
This article shall not apply to any police dog when such dog is in pursuit of its duties.
A. 
The owner of a dog shall have the dog vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian within 30 days after the dog reaches four months of age and revaccinated within one year after the initial vaccination. If the owner obtains the dog or brings the dog into Price County after the dog has reached four months of age, the owner shall have the dog vaccinated against rabies within 30 days after the dog is obtained or brought into the County, unless the dog has been vaccinated as evidenced by a current certificate of rabies vaccination from another county within this state or another state. The owner of a dog shall have the dog revaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian before the date that the immunization expires as stated on the certificate of vaccination or, if no date is specified, within three years after the previous vaccination.
B. 
The owner of any dog, cat or ferret which bites any person other than the owner or the owner's immediate family shall make a report of the bite incident to the Price County Sheriff, giving the details of such dog, cat or ferret bite, including the date, place and name of the dog, cat or ferret bite victim. The owner shall make such report immediately upon gaining personal knowledge of such bite or immediately after receiving reliable information of such bite from the Sheriff or any other person.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
C. 
The owner shall attach a rabies vaccination tag or substitute tag to a collar, and a collar with the tag attached shall be kept on the dog at all times, but this requirement does not apply to a show dog during competition, to a dog while hunting, or to a dog securely confined in a fenced area. The requirements of this subsection do not apply to a dog which is not required to be vaccinated under Subsection A.
D. 
The owner shall pay the cost of the rabies vaccination and the cost associated with the issuance of a certificate of rabies vaccination and the delivery of a rabies vaccination tag.
A. 
A veterinarian who vaccinates a dog against rabies shall complete and issue to the owner a certificate of rabies vaccination (or generate a computer printout) bearing a serial number and in the form approved by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection for each dog that is vaccinated. The certificate shall include the following information:
(1) 
Owner's name, address and telephone number.
(2) 
Description of the dog (species, breed, sex, markings, age and name).
(3) 
Date of vaccination.
(4) 
Date of vaccination expiration as specified for the type of vaccine by the Centers for Disease Control of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
(5) 
Rabies vaccination tag number.
(6) 
Vaccine producer and product name.
(7) 
Manufacturer's serial or lot number of vaccine.
(8) 
Veterinarian's signature.
(9) 
Veterinarian's address and license number.
B. 
The original certificate of rabies vaccination shall be provided to the owner. The veterinarian who administers the vaccination shall keep a copy of each certificate of rabies vaccination in a file maintained for this purpose. All parties should retain the certificate for the duration of the vaccination plus one year.
C. 
After issuing the certificate of rabies vaccination, the veterinarian shall deliver to the owner a rabies vaccination tag of durable material bearing the same serial number as the certificate, the year the vaccination was given and the name, address and telephone number of the veterinarian, with instructions that it must be securely attached to the dog's collar or harness.
D. 
The veterinarian may furnish a new rabies vaccination tag with a new serial number to an owner in place of the original tag upon presentation of the certificate of rabies vaccination. The veterinarian shall then indicate the new tag number on the certificate and keep a record in the file.
E. 
Any practicing veterinarian who is requested to be involved in the rabies control program by an officer is encouraged to cooperate in a professional capacity with the local health department, the officer involved and, if the animal is suspected to have bitten a person, that person's physician.
A. 
If the Price County Sheriff has cause to believe that any dog, cat or ferret has bitten a person, an officer shall order such dog, cat or ferret quarantined. The Sheriff shall investigate the incident, and if such dog, cat or ferret can be identified and located, the Sheriff shall take action in accordance with this article.
[Amended 4-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2-23]
B. 
If the owner of such dog, cat or ferret can be located, the Sheriff shall supply the owner with information concerning the dog, cat or ferret bite incident.
C. 
The Sheriff, or any other officer, may order a dog, cat or ferret quarantined if the officer has reason to believe that the animal bit a person, is infected with rabies, or has been in contact with a rabid animal. If quarantine cannot be imposed because the dog, cat or ferret cannot be captured, the officer may kill the animal. The officer may kill a dog, cat or ferret only as a last resort or if the owner agrees. The officer shall attempt to kill the animal in a humane manner and in a manner which avoids damage to the animal's head.
D. 
If the Sheriff or any officer kills an animal pursuant to this article, said officer shall deliver the carcass to a veterinarian or to the Price County Health and Human Services Department immediately. Said veterinarian or Price County Health and Human Services Department shall thereafter follow the procedures set forth in § 95.21, Wis. Stats.
E. 
The Sheriff shall complete the procedure for each bite incident by reporting the results of quarantine or sacrifice of the suspected animal to the victim and the owner, if known.
A. 
An officer who orders a dog, cat or ferret to be quarantined shall deliver the animal or shall order the animal delivered to an isolation facility as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after the original order is issued, or the officer may order the animal to be quarantined on the premises of the owner if the animal is immunized currently against rabies as evidenced by a valid certificate of rabies vaccination or other evidence. An animal ordered quarantined shall be isolated from contact with other animals.
B. 
The custodian of an isolation facility or the owner shall keep a dog, cat or ferret which is ordered to be quarantined in strict isolation under the supervision of a veterinarian for at least 10 days after the incident occurred. Supervision of a veterinarian includes, at a minimum, examination of the animal on the first day, on the 10th day and on one intervening day. If the observation period is not extended and if the veterinarian certifies that the dog, cat or ferret has not exhibited any symptoms of rabies, the animal may be released from quarantine at the end of the ten-day observation period.
[Amended 4-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2-23]
C. 
Extended observation may be ordered for a dog, cat or ferret not currently immunized against rabies if the dog, cat or ferret is suspected to have been in contact with a rabid animal. An officer may order the owner to keep the animal in strict isolation for an additional 180 days, during which time the owner shall have the animal vaccinated against rabies between the 155th and 165th day after the beginning of the original observation period [§ 95.21(5)(c)1, Wis. Stats.]. If a veterinarian certifies that the dog, cat or ferret has not exhibited any symptoms of rabies during the extended observation period, the animal may be released from quarantine at the end of that period.
D. 
If a veterinarian determines that a dog, cat or ferret exhibits symptoms of rabies during the original or extended observation period, the veterinarian shall notify the owner and the officer who ordered the animal quarantined, and the officer or veterinarian shall kill the animal in a humane manner and in a manner which avoids damage to the animal's head. If the dog, cat or ferret is suspected to have bitten a person, the veterinarian shall notify the person or the person's physician. Following such sacrifice of the animal, the carcass shall be prepared and delivered to the State Laboratory of Hygiene as set forth in § 95.21(6), Wis. Stats.
A. 
Isolation facilities shall receive and quarantine any dog, cat or ferret known or suspected to have bitten a person for a ten-day period of observation for symptoms of rabies, as set forth in § 223-9 of this article. An animal which is ordered quarantined shall be isolated from contact with other animals.
B. 
All expenses incurred by the isolation facility, including supervision and examination of the animal by a veterinarian, preparation of the carcass for laboratory examination and the laboratory examination fee, shall be charged to the animal's owner. In the event that the owner is unknown, the County shall reimburse the isolation facility for the above-stated charges from the dog license fund.
Owners of dogs who are temporarily visiting Price County with their dog(s) or who are exhibiting a dog in competition must carry with them and be prepared, upon demand of a legal authority, to present a current certificate of rabies vaccination for each dog.
A. 
An owner who fails to have a dog, cat or ferret vaccinated against rabies as required under this article shall be subject to a forfeiture as provided in Chapter 290 of the County Code, together with the cost of prosecution.
B. 
An owner who refuses to comply with an order issued under this article to deliver an animal to an officer, isolation facility, or veterinarian or who does not comply with the conditions of an order that an animal be quarantined shall be subject to a forfeiture as provided in Chapter 290 of the County Code, together with taxable costs, and upon default in the payment of such forfeiture and costs such owner may be imprisoned in the County Jail for no more than 30 days.
C. 
A person who violates any provision of this article not specified under Subsections A and B shall be subject to a forfeiture as provided in Chapter 290 of the County Code, together with the cost of prosecution.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
It shall be the duty of the Price County District Attorney to prosecute violations of this article. The District Attorney may also seek an injunction or other judicial process to enforce the provisions of this article.
A. 
The County Clerk shall cause a Class 1 notice under Ch. 985, Wis. Stats., to be published between January 1 and January 15 of each year in a newspaper having general circulation in the County notifying the public that rabies vaccinations and dog licenses are required under the Wisconsin Statutes.
B. 
The County Clerk shall cause a Class 1 notice under Ch. 985, Wis. Stats., to be published between March 1 and March 15 of each year in a newspaper having general circulation in the County notifying the public that rabies vaccinations and dog licenses are required under the Wisconsin Statutes and that late fees will be assessed after April 1.
Rabies vaccinations may be recommended for animals other than dogs for which a United States Department of Agriculture licensed vaccine is available; however, a current vaccination history may not eliminate the need for euthanasia and rabies testing if the animal bites a human.