[R.O. 2011 § 210.270; R.O. 2009
§ 91.60; CC 1981 § 4-5; Ord. No.
92-83, 5-5-1992]
It shall be unlawful for any person
to conceal an animal or interfere with the Animal Control Officer,
the veterinarian or persons designated by the officer or such other
persons who may be designated by the City Council in the performance
of their legal duties as provided in this Chapter. The Animal Control
Officer or persons designated by the officer or such other persons
who may be designated by the City Council shall have the right to
enter onto any lots or lands for the purpose of collecting any dog,
cat or other animal which is on such lot or land in violation of this
Chapter and whose presence on such lot or land constitutes a violation
of any of the provisions of this Chapter. The Animal Control Officer
or a duly appointed representative or any other person or persons
so designated by the City shall have the powers of arrest necessary
to enforce the provisions under this Chapter. The Animal Control Officer
or persons designated by the officer or such other persons who may
be designated by the City Council shall have the right to enter into
a dwelling or building for the purpose of collecting any dog, cat
or other animal which shows obvious signs of being rabid.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.280; R.O. 2009
§ 91.61; CC 1981 § 4-6; Ord. No.
92-83, 5-5-1992]
A.
The Animal Control Officer or other persons
designated by the officer or such other persons who may be designated
by the City Council shall have the power to catch, confine and impound
dogs, cats and other animals as follows:
1.
Dogs, cats and other animals wearing
an expired or invalid St. Charles County rabies registration tag;
2.
Dogs, cats and other animals not
wearing a St. Charles County rabies registration tag;
3.
All female dogs and cats not securely
confined in an enclosed place while in heat;
4.
All dogs, puppies, cats, kittens
or other animals which are at large;
5.
All dogs, cats and other animals
infected or suspected of being infected with rabies and all dogs,
cats and other animals exposed to or suspected by the officer to be
exposed to or infected with rabies, including dogs, cats and other
animals known to have been bitten by a rabid animal, whether the dog,
cat or other animal to be impounded is running at large or on a leash
or whether it is confined to its owner's premises;
6.
Dogs, cats and other animals susceptible
to rabies not vaccinated for rabies with a vaccine approved by the
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and used
within the preceding time period approved by the National Association
of Public Health Veterinarians as the duration of effective protection
against rabies which that vaccine gives;
7.
Dogs, cats or other animals which
have bitten a person or animal, which have been bitten by a dog, cat
or other animal suspected of having rabies, which are suspected of
having rabies or have been exposed to rabies;
B.
Dogs, cats or other animals impounded in
accordance with this Chapter shall be impounded in an impounding facility
as designated by the City Council.
C.
Any animal bearing identification of ownership
shall be held for five (5) business days from time of impoundment;
the Animal Control Officer shall make reasonable effort within twenty-four
(24) hours of impoundment by telephone to give notice of the impoundment
to the owner and if unsuccessful, shall mail written notice by certified
mail within forty-eight (48) hours of impoundment. Information shall
be included in the written notice setting forth the date by which
redemption must be made and the fees payable prior to redemption release.
When written notice is sent, the impounded animal shall be held an
additional five (5) business days or until the certified mail return
receipt is received from the United States Postal Service.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.290; R.O. 2009
§ 91.62; CC 1981 § 4-7; Ord. No.
92-83, 5-5-1992]
A.
Any dog, cat or other animal which exhibits
objective symptoms suggestive of rabies, after written certification
to the owner by the Animal Control Officer or veterinarian or such
other person designated by the City Council for the enforcement of
this Chapter, shall be impounded off the property of the owner. This
animal shall be held for ten (10) days at the impounding facilities
designated by the City Council for clinical observation and if alive
at the termination of this period, shall be returned to the owner
after payment of the designated fee. As an alternative procedure,
the owner, at the owner's expense, may designate any veterinary hospital
in the County wherein such animal is to be impounded and observed
for a similar ten-day period. If such animal shall die during the
observation period, regardless of location, the head shall be removed
and submitted to a qualified laboratory for examination.
B.
Any dog, cat or other animal which has
been exposed to rabies shall be immediately destroyed unless the owner,
at the owner's expense, chooses one (1) of the following alternative
methods:
1.
Strict isolation in a kennel or animal
hospital for six (6) months.
2.
If no previous vaccination has been
given to a dog, cat or other animal susceptible to rabies within a
period of two (2) years with chicken embryo (flurry strain) vaccine
or within one (1) year using vaccine of nerve tissue origin or another
vaccine approved by the veterinarian was used and if the effective
protection limit of the last such vaccination has passed, then such
dog, cat or other animal susceptible to rabies shall be impounded
and placed on a schedule of immunization approved by the Animal Control
Officer or veterinarian.
3.
If a dog, cat or other animal susceptible
to rabies has been vaccinated previously with another vaccine approved
by the veterinarian within the duration of the vaccine's effective
protection as approved by the National Association of State Public
Health Veterinarians, the animal shall be revaccinated and restrained
by a leash and confined at home for thirty (30) days.
C.
Prior to release of any dog, cat or other
animal susceptible to rabies under clinical observation for rabies,
all conditions of this Chapter shall be fulfilled.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.300; R.O. 2009
§ 91.63; CC 1981 § 4-8; Ord. No.
92-83, 5-5-1992]
Whenever rabies becomes prevalent
in the City, the Mayor shall, according to the necessity of the case,
issue a quarantine order requiring every owner or person in charge
of any dog, cat or other animal susceptible to rabies whether vaccinated
or not within the limits of the City to either kill their dog, cat
or animal or confine it in the home or some other secure building.
Whenever, during quarantine, it is necessary that a dog, cat or animal
susceptible to rabies leave the confines of a home or other secure
building, such dog, cat or animal shall be placed on a leash no more
than six (6) feet in length and under the direct physical control
of a competent person not less than fifteen (15) years of age. Such
order shall be published once in a paper publishing the businesses
of the City or shall be posted in at least twenty (20) conspicuous
places about the City. The Mayor may, by proclamation, terminate any
such quarantine whenever, in the Mayor's judgment, the necessity for
it no longer exists.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.310; R.O. 2009
§ 91.64; CC 1981 § 4-9; Ord. No.
92-83, 5-5-1992]
A.
The owner of any dog, cat or other animal
which bites any person, regardless of the circumstances or irrespective
of whether such dog or cat is vaccinated, shall be required to place
such dog, cat or other animal in the custody of the Animal Control
Officer or veterinarian for confinement in a manner satisfactory to
the Animal Control Officer, veterinarian or Chief of Police and in
a manner that will prevent contact with people and other animals for
a period of ten (10) days following the evening of the day of the
bite for the purpose of clinical observation. All expenses shall be
borne by the owner of the dog, cat or other animal. If for any reason
such dog, cat or other animal should die while in confinement, its
head shall be removed by the veterinarian and submitted to a qualified
laboratory. If at the end of such ten-day period of observation such
dog, cat or other animal is alive and healthy, it may be released
to its owner.
B.
The Chief of Police or designee is authorized
to allow confinement other than described above providing such animal
will be controlled and observed in accordance with the owner's signed
agreement. Preconditions for quarantine at home would be that the
animal must have current rabies vaccination, be licensed, not have
a recent history of being at large; there shall be proof presented
that the bite was provoked, the animal is not displaying a sudden
change in disposition and the owner has both the ability and desire
to keep the animal in a secure building and separate from other animals.
C.
All other conditions of this Chapter must
be fulfilled prior to the release of all animals under clinical observation
as the result of biting a person.
D.
It shall be the duty of any person bitten
by any animal or the parent or guardian of any minor bitten by an
animal to report the same to the Police Department immediately. Such
report shall contain the name and address of the owner and of the
animal, the day and time bitten, the location where bitten and a general
description of the animal.
E.
It shall be the duty of every physician
to report immediately to the City Police Department the full name,
age and address of any person under the physician's care or observation
who has been bitten by an animal, irrespective of whether infected
with rabies or suspected; and every veterinarian treating or having
under observation any animal infected with rabies shall report to
the Police Department the owner's name and address and if the animal
is a dog, cat or other animal.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.320; R.O. 2009
§ 91.65; CC 1981 § 4-10; Ord.
No. 92-83, 5-5-1992]
Each impounded dog, cat and susceptible
animal shall be licensed before being released to the owner. A fee
designated by the City Council to cover the cost of vaccination and
for the impounding service shall be collected for each dog or cat
so released. A separate money receipt will be issued for the cost
of vaccination. The owner shall take the animal to a veterinarian
for rabies immunization within two (2) weeks of its release and surrender
the vaccination receipt as payment. Dogs and cats that have been vaccinated
before becoming impounded shall be released to their owners within
five (5) days after capture upon payment of the impounding service
fee as specified herein; provided that the Animal Control Officer
or veterinarian is of the opinion that such release will not impair
the safety of the public. Every animal impounded under the provisions
of this regulation, which is found upon arrival at the pound to be
diseased or injured and whose owner is unknown or whose owner relinquished
ownership in writing, shall be immediately euthanized if so recommended
by a veterinarian. The Animal Control Officer may return any at large
animal to its owner if within the preceding one (1) year that animal
has not been found running at large; provided that a summons shall
be issued to the owner for violation of this Chapter.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.330; R.O. 2009
§ 91.66; CC 1981 § 4-11; Ord.
No. 92-83, 5-5-1992]
The Animal Control Officer or veterinarian
or such other person as may be designated by the City Council shall
dispose of any dog, cat or other animal infected with rabies and such
person so designated shall have the power to examine and impound any
animal bitten by or exposed to any other animal infected with rabies.
The Animal Control Officer or veterinarian or such other person as
may be designated by the City Council shall have the power to require
the owners of such dogs, cats or other animals to take such necessary
measures to prevent further spread of rabies and to dispose of any
exposed animal, if such necessary measures are not taken by the owners.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.340; R.O. 2009
§ 91.67; CC 1981 § 4-34; Ord.
No. 92-83, 5-5-1992]
In addition to the duties prescribed
for the Animal Control Officer by this Chapter, it shall be the duty
of the Animal Control Officer, whenever the Animal Control Officer
has knowledge or receives notice of the presence of rats along any
public property within the City, immediately to make a thorough investigation
and take whatever action may be necessary to remove the attraction
for the rats or set out a rat exterminating agent in a manner that
will not be injurious to humans or animals, other than rats. It shall
further be the duty of the Animal Control Officer to advise citizens
of the City in the matter of rat control when called upon to do so.
[R.O. 2011 § 210.350; R.O. 2009
§ 91.99; CC 1981 § 4-36; Ord.
No. 92-83, 5-5-1992]
Any person violating any provision of this Chapter and found guilty shall be punished as provided in Section 100.150.
