Town of Cumberland, RI Rabies Control

[Ord. of 7-11-1968, § 8]

Every animal that bites a person shall be promptly reported to the animal control officer and shall thereupon be securely quarantined at the direction of the animal control officer for a period of 14 days and shall not be released from such quarantine except by written permission of the animal control officer. At the discretion of the animal control officer, such quarantine may be on the premises of the owner, at the shelter designated as the dog pound or, at the owner's option and expense, in a veterinary hospital of his choice. For stray animals or for animals whose ownership is not known, such quarantine shall be at the shelter designated by the animal control officer.

(b)

The owner, upon demand by the animal control officer, shall forthwith surrender any animal that has bitten a human or that is suspected as having been exposed to rabies, for supervised quarantine, the expense of which shall be borne by the owner. The animal may be reclaimed by the owner if it is adjudged free of rabies upon payment of fees set forth in § 4-70.

(c)

When rabies has been diagnosed in an animal under quarantine or when rabies is suspected by a licensed veterinarian and the animal dies while under such observation, the animal control officer shall immediately send the head of such animal to the state health department for pathological examination and shall notify the proper public health officer of reports of human contacts and the diagnosis.

(d)

When one or both reports indicate a positive diagnosis of rabies, the animal control officer shall recommend an area-wide quarantine for a period of 90 days. Upon invoking such emergency quarantine, no animal shall be taken into the streets or permitted to be in the streets during such period of quarantine. During such quarantine, no animal may be taken or shipped from the Town without written permission of the animal control officer. During this quarantine period and as long afterward as he decides it is necessary to prevent the spread of rabies, the health officer shall require all dogs three months of age and older to be vaccinated against rabies with a canine rabies vaccine approved by the biologics control section of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The types of approved canine antirabies vaccine to be used and the recognized duration of immunity for each shall be established by the health officer. All vaccinated dogs shall be restricted by leashing or confinement on an enclosed premises, for 30 days after vaccination. During the quarantine period, the health officer shall be empowered to provide for a program of mass immunization by the establishment of temporary emergency canine rabies vaccination clinics strategically located throughout the Town. No dog that has been impounded because of its being a stray, unclaimed by its owner, is allowed to be claimed during the period of the rabies emergency quarantine, except by special authorization of the health officer and the animal control officer.

(e)

A dog bitten by a known rabid animal shall be immediately destroyed. If the owner is unwilling to destroy the exposed dog, strict isolation of the dog in a kennel for six months shall be enforced. If the dog has been previously vaccinated within time limits established by the health officer based on the kind of vaccine used, revaccination and restraint, by leashing and confinement for 30 days, shall be carried out.

(f)

If there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of the quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended for an additional six months.

(g)

No person shall kill or cause to be killed any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies or any animal biting a human, except as provided in this section, nor shall any person remove the animal from the Town limits without written permission from the animal control officer.

(h)

The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall upon demand be surrendered to the animal control officer.

(i)

The animal control officer shall direct the disposition of any animal found to be infected with rabies.

(j)

No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction as required in this section when demand is made therefor by the animal control officer.