[Ord. No. 354, 6-8-2007]
The following words, when used in this Chapter, shall have the
meanings set out herein.
DOGS
All animals of the canine species, both male and female.
OWNER or KEEPER
Any person having a right of property in a dog, or who keeps
or harbors a dog, or who has it in his/her care or acts as its custodian,
or who knowingly permits a dog to remain on or about any premises
owned or occupied by him/her.
RUNNING AT LARGE
Suffering a dog to be off the private premises of the owner
or keeper, or his/her agent or servant, and not on a leash or confined
to the arms, motor vehicle, trailer or other conveyance of the owner
or keeper, his/her agent or servant.
SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY
Physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death
or that causes serious disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment
of the function of any part of the body.
TRESPASSER
A person upon the premises of the owner or keeper of the
dog in question without license or privilege to be upon said premises.
UNRESTRAINED DOG
Any dog running at large, or a dog on the premises of its
owner or keeper but not confined to said premises by a leash, fence,
structure or other means that would prevent the dog from leaving such
premises.
VICIOUS DOG
Any of the following dogs:
1.
Any dog, whether or not running at large and whether or not
unrestrained, that without provocation has bitten any person not a
trespasser causing serious physical injury to that person.
2.
Any unrestrained dog, whether or not running at large, that
without provocation has attempted to bite any person not a trespasser
which would cause serious physical injury to that person.
3.
Any unrestrained dog, whether or not running at large, that
without provocation has placed any person not a trespasser in apprehension
of immediate serious physical injury.
4.
Any dog that has killed another dog, cat or other domestic animal
without provocation.
[Ord. No. 353 §1, 4-9-2007]
A. Unlawful To Keep — Exception. It shall be unlawful
to keep, harbor, own or in any way possess, within the corporate limits
of the City of New London, Missouri, any pit bull.
B. Definition. Pit bull dog is defined to mean:
1. Staffordshire bull terrier breed of dog;
2. The American pit bull terrier breed of dog;
3. The American Staffordshire terrier breed of dog;
4. Any mix breed of dog which contains as an element of its breeding
the breed of Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier,
or American pit bull terrier, as to be identifiable as partially of
the breed of Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier
or American pit bull terrier;
5. Any dog which has the appearance and characteristics of being predominantly
of the breeds of Staffordshire bull terrier, American pit bull terrier,
American Staffordshire terrier and other breeds commonly known as
pit bulls, pit bull dogs or pit bull terriers, or a combination of
any of these breeds.
C. Violations And Penalties.
1. It shall be unlawful for the owner, keeper or harborer of a pit bull
dog registered with the City to fail to comply with the requirements
and conditions set forth in this Section. Any dog found to be in violation
of this Section shall be subject to immediate seizure and impoundment
for the time necessary for the owner or keeper to show compliance
with this Section and the owner shall be responsible for all kennel
fees for impoundment.
2. Any person violating or permitting the violation of any provision
of this Section shall, upon conviction in Municipal Court, be subject
to the penalty of an ordinance violation. For a first (1st) offense,
a term of imprisonment not to exceed fifteen (15) days or a fine not
to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) or both such fine and imprisonment
may be imposed. For a second (2nd) or subsequent violation, a term
of imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days or a fine not to exceed
one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or both such fine and imprisonment
may be imposed. Each day that a violation of this Section continues
shall be deemed as a separate offense.
[CC 1979 §§65.020 — 65.060; Ord. No. 418, 8-8-2019]
A. License
Required. No dog owner shall keep any dog within the City of New London,
Missouri, unless a license therefore has been secured. Licenses shall
be secured from the City Clerk for a fee of three dollars fifty cents
($3.50) for each dog. Licenses shall expire on the 30th day of June
next following their issuance.
B. Date Of Payment. It shall be the duty of each owner of a dog to pay the license fee imposed in Subsection
(A) to the City Clerk on or before the first day of July of each year, or upon acquiring ownership or possession of any unlicensed dog or establishing residence in the City of New London. The City Clerk shall cause notice of the necessity of paying such a license fee to be printed in the official paper one (1) time before the first day of June of each year
C. Receipts.
Upon payment of the license fee, the City Clerk shall execute a receipt
in duplicate. The Clerk shall deliver the original receipt to the
person who pays the fee, retaining the duplicate.
D. Vaccination.
No license shall be granted for any dog which has not been vaccinated
against rabies during the ninety (90) day period preceding the making
of the application for such license, except that when a dog is first
licensed for an entire year hereafter, the license may be issued if
the dog has been vaccinated within a period of six (6) months preceding
the application for a license. Vaccinations shall be performed only
by a doctor qualified to practice veterinary medicine in the State
in which the dog is vaccinated. A certificate of vaccination must
be presented at the time of making application for the license.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any dog to permit the same to run at large within the City of New London at any time. Any dog found without the tag provided in Section
205.020, and any dog found running at large shall be impounded.
It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police, the City Police, and any other person of the City of New London, especially designated by the Board of Aldermen and the Mayor for such purpose, to take up any dog without the tag provided in Section
205.020, any dog running at large, or any vicious dog in violation of Section
205.040 above, and to impound the same. In effecting the capture of any dog, the officers aforesaid are authorized and directed to use traps, nets, tranquilizer guns or any other humane method.
[CC 1979 §65.080; Ord. No. 370, 2-8-2010]
A. Upon taking and impounding any dog as provided in Section
205.030, the pound master shall thereafter immediately post at the City Hall and in two (2) or more conspicuous places within the City a notice of impounding in substantially the following form, to wit:
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NOTICE OF IMPOUNDING DOG
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DATE: _______________, 20____
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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
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I, this day, have taken and impounded at the New London City
Dog Pound a dog(s) answering the following description:
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Notice is hereby given that unless said dog is claimed and redeemed
on or before 5:00 P.M. on the _____ day of _______________, 20____,
the same will be available for adoption from the City of New London
or taken to the Northeast Missouri Humane Shelter in Hannibal, Missouri.
For additional information, please contact the City Clerk at 419 South
Main or call (573) 985-4041.
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Signed:
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__________________________________
IMPOUNDING OFFICER
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B. The
date of sale, adoption, or otherwise humane disposal of the dog shall
be the fifth (5th) day after the posting of the notice, unless the
date falls on a Sunday or holiday, in which case it shall be the following
day. In the event that the owner of the dog is known, then the notice
shall be personally served upon said owner and shall not be publicly
posted.
[CC 1979 §65.090; Ord. No. 364, 7-13-2009; Ord. No. 419, 3-9-2020]
Any dog may be redeemed from the place of impoundment by the
owner within the time stated in the notice by the payment to the City
Clerk of the license fee for the current year together with an impoundment
fee of thirty dollars ($30.00) for each day the dog is confined in
the pound.
[CC 1979 §65.100]
Upon the presentation of the correct license tag and receipt for a dog license for the current year and for the fees provided in Section
205.070, the dog shall be leased to the claiming owner.
[CC 1979 §65.110]
Any dog not claimed as provided in Section
205.070 may be disposed of at the discretion of the impounding authorities by gift; sale, provided the proceeds of the sale are applied towards the fees required in Section
205.070; or by painless killing and burying said dog.
[CC 1979 §65.120]
The Board of Aldermen is hereby authorized to establish a permanent
dog pound for the purpose of enforcing this Chapter. In the alternative,
the Board of Aldermen may enter into a contract or working agreement
with an existing publicly or privately operated pound or animal shelter.
[CC 1979 §65.130; Ord. No. 291 §1, 12-11-1995; Ord. No. 343, 7-11-2005]
No person shall keep or harbor a dog which habitually creates
a public disturbance. No dog owner shall permit his/her dog to obstruct
a public street or sidewalk or to detour traffic from such street
or sidewalk, nor shall any dog owner allow his/her dog to injure any
person. Any dog owner found guilty of violating the above provisions
shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. Any dog which bites a human
being, not necessarily the same human being, on one (1) or more occasions
shall be destroyed by its owner upon the second (2nd) such occasion.
If the owner refuses to destroy the dog, then upon an order from the
City of New London, Municipal Division of the Circuit Court of Ralls
County, the Police Department shall destroy the dog. In addition to
the other powers and remedies contained in this Chapter, upon conviction
of any person of a violation of this Chapter, the Municipal Judge
may order the Police Department to forthwith take up and put to death
in a humane manner any dog which the court deems to be a vicious animal.
Upon conviction of any person in violation of this Chapter, the Municipal
Judge shall assess against the owner/defendant all costs incurred
by the City in transporting, feeding, housing or otherwise caring
for or disposing of any dog or dogs.
[CC 1979 §65.140]
It is unlawful for any unauthorized person to take or attempt
to take from any officer any dog taken up by said officer in compliance
with this Article or in any manner to interfere with or hinder such
officer in the discharge of his/her duties under this Chapter.
[CC 1979 §65.150]
The responsibility for enforcing this Chapter shall be vested
in the Police Department of the City of New London, Missouri. Provided
however, the Board of Aldermen may contract with a private individual,
partnership or other corporation to aid the City Police Department
in the enforcement of this Chapter.
[CC 1979 §65.160]
It is unlawful to counterfeit or attempt to counterfeit the
tags provided for in this Article or to take a tag from any dog legally
placed upon it by its owner with the intent to place said tag upon
another dog, or to place such tag upon another dog.
[CC 1979 §65.170]
Tags are not transferable and no refund shall be made on any
dog license fee because of leaving the City or because of the death
of the animal before the expiration of the license.
[CC 1979 §65.180; Ord. No. 227 §1, 2-4-1980]
No person, firm or corporation shall maintain in the City of New London a kennel as defined in Section
405.020, where dogs are kept for sale or stud purposes without securing a license therefore from the City Clerk. The Clerk shall issue such license only upon the approval of the Board of Aldermen. The license must be renewed on an annual basis. The license fee shall be ten dollars ($10.00) per year, and shall be in lieu of a City business license. The issuance of a kennel license shall in no way relieve the operator of the requirements set forth in Section
205.020 (A). Provisions of this Section shall not effect any kennel operator license prior to January 1, 1980.
[CC 1979 §65.190; Ord. No. 237 §1, 5-5-1983]
It shall be unlawful for any person or person owning, controlling,
harboring, possessing, or having the management or care, in whole
or in part, of any dog to permit such dog or dogs to run-at-large.
For the purpose of this Article, every dog when on any street, alley
or any other public place in the City of New London, Missouri, which
is not attached to a leash, the other end of which is securely held,or
when on private property within said City, which is either not attached
to a leash, the other end of which is securely held, or which is not
so confined as to prevent its straying from the premises, shall be
deemed running-at-large; provided however, that a dog bearing a City
dog tag may remain on the property of its owner without leash or other
confinement.