[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Fox Crossing as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 7-13-2020 by Ord. No. 200713-1[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This article derives from § 9.04 of the former Municipal Code, added 10-3-1990 and amended 12-18-1995, 10-13-1997, 9-9-2002, 11-28-2005, 3-12-2007, and 5-20-2019 by Ord. No. 190506-1.
The provisions of Ch. 174, Wis. Stats., exclusive of any penalties, are adopted by reference and made a part of this code, so far as applicable.
Any person or entity owning, keeping, harboring or having custody of any dog or cat over five months of age within the Village of Fox Crossing must obtain a license as provided herein for any dog or cat not otherwise licensed in another municipality. Every owner of a dog/cat more than five months of age on January 1 of any year or five months of age within the license year shall annually, or within 30 days from the date such dog/cat becomes five months of age (at the time and in the manner provided by law for the payment of personal property taxes), pay to the Village of Fox Crossing his/her dog/cat license fee and obtain a license.
Effective December 1, 2002, license fees for neutered male or spayed female dogs and cats, upon presentation of evidence attesting to the same, and for unneutered male or unspayed female dogs and cats, shall be as set forth in the Village Fee Schedule, reference this Code section. Unless a dog or cat has just been obtained, a late fee shall be assessed the owner of each dog/cat five months of age or over who fails to obtain a dog/cat license by April 1 of each year.
A. 
Upon acceptance of the license application and fee, the licensing authority shall issue a durable tag stamped with the identifying number and the year of issuance. Tags should be designed so that they may be conveniently fastened or riveted to the animal's collar or harness.
B. 
Dogs and cats shall wear license and rabies vaccination tags at all times. Exception: show dogs or cats during competition.
C. 
A duplicate license may be obtained upon payment of a replacement fee set forth in the Village Fee Schedule, reference this Code section.
Per § 174.053, Wis. Stats.
A. 
Multiple dog license option. Any person who keeps more than one dog may, instead of the license tax for each dog required by this article, apply to the collecting official for a multiple dog license for the keeping of the dogs. Such person shall pay for the license year a license tax for 12 or fewer dogs and an additional fee for each dog in excess of 12 shall be paid per the Village Fee Schedule, by reference of this Code section. Upon payment of the required multiple dog license tax and upon presentation of evidence that all dogs over five months of age are currently immunized against rabies, the collecting official shall issue the multiple dog license and a number of tags equal to the number of dogs authorized to be kept by the person.
B. 
Multiple dog license tags. Multiple dog license tags shall be made in a form so that they may be readily distinguishable from the individual license tags for the same year. The owner or keeper of dogs for which a multiple dog license has been issued shall keep at all times a multiple dog license tag attached to the collar of each dog over five months old kept by the owner or keeper under a multiple dog license, but this requirement does not apply to a dog during competition or training, to a dog securely confined indoors, to a dog while hunting, or to a dog securely confined in a fenced area. An owner or keeper may transfer a multiple dog license tag from a dog that the owner or keeper no longer owns or keeps to another dog if the other dog is currently immunized against rabies. The rabies vaccination tag or substitute tag shall remain attached to the dog for which it is issued at all times, but this requirement does not apply to a dog during competition or training, to a dog securely confined indoors, to a dog while hunting, or to a dog securely confined in a fenced area. No dog bearing a multiple dog license tag shall be permitted to stray or to be taken anywhere outside the limits of the owner's or keeper's premises unless the dog is in leash or temporarily out for the purposes of hunting, breeding, trial, training, or competition.
C. 
Licensing under this section does not pertain to residential dwellings referred to in § 154-13 when limiting up to four animals.
D. 
Applicability of other requirements. Unless clearly inapplicable, all the provisions of this article relating to the individual dog license tax, licenses, and tags shall apply to the multiple dog license and tags.
[Amended 5-23-2022 by Ord. No. 220509-1]
A. 
No person shall permit their dog/cat to run at large within the Village of Fox Crossing at any time. A dog/cat shall not be considered running at large if the dog/cat is within the limits of the owner's premises, or when the dog/cat is under immediate control with a leash, except that no dog/cat shall be allowed in any public park in Fox Crossing at any time, unless the dog/cat is on a designated Village of Fox Crossing trail.
B. 
Notwithstanding the above, dogs are allowed unleashed in any designated Village of Fox Crossing or Winnebago County dog park, subject to the park rules established by the Village Park Commission and/or Winnebago County Park Department.
No person shall wrongfully remove the collar, license number or muzzle from or shall wrongfully kill, maim, entice or carry away any dog/cat licensed.
No person shall knowingly keep or harbor a vicious dog/cat that is known to have bitten a human being, livestock, or a domestic animal as defined in § 174.001(2g) and (3), Wis. Stats.
A. 
A "vicious animal" is any animal that, when unprovoked, inflicts bites, injures, kills, or attacks a human being or domestic animal on either public or private property.
B. 
Exceptions. Notwithstanding the definition of a vicious animal above:
(1) 
No animal may be declared vicious if death, injury or damage is sustained by a person who, at the time such was sustained, was committing a trespass of the land or criminal trespass of the dwelling upon premises occupied by the owner of the animal, or was teasing, tormenting, abusing or assaulting the animal, or was committing or attempting to commit a crime or violating or attempting to violate an ordinance which protects person or property.
(2) 
No animal may be declared vicious if death, injury or damage was sustained by a domestic animal which, at the time such was sustained, was teasing, tormenting, abusing, or assaulting the animal.
(3) 
No animal may be declared vicious if the animal was protecting or defending a human being within the immediate vicinity of the animal from an unjustified attack or assault.
(4) 
No animal may be declared vicious for acts committed by said animal while being utilized by a law enforcement agency for law enforcement purposes while under the control and direction of a law enforcement officer.
No person shall keep or harbor a dog which frequently or habitually barks, yelps or howls. No person shall keep or harbor a cat which frequently or habitually howls.
It shall be unlawful for any person within the Village of Fox Crossing to own, harbor or keep any dog/cat which:
A. 
Habitually pursues any vehicle upon any public street, alley or highway in the Village.
B. 
Assaults or attacks any person.
C. 
Is at large within the limits of the Village.
D. 
Habitually barks or howls to the annoyance of any person(s).
E. 
Kills, wounds, or harasses any domestic animal.
F. 
Is known to be infected with rabies, or to have been bitten by an animal known to have been infected with rabies.
The owner or person having immediate control of any animal shall promptly remove and dispose of, in a sanitary manner, any excreta left or deposited by the animal upon any public or private property. This section shall not apply to a person with a disability who is using a service animal, as defined in § 106.52(1)(fm), Wis. Stats.
Every owner or person harboring or keeping a dog/cat who knows that such dog/cat has bitten any person shall immediately report such fact to the Police Department and shall keep such dog/cat confined for not less than 14 days or for such period of time as the Police Department shall direct. The owner or keeper of any such dog/cat shall surrender the dog/cat to any Village Police Officer upon demand for examination.
In addition to any penalty provided for under state or local law, any person may confine any dog or cat, or any police officer of the Village may impound any dog or cat, which habitually pursues any vehicle upon any street, alley or highway of this Village, assaults or attacks any person, is at large within the Village, habitually barks or howls, kills or wounds any domestic animal or is infected with rabies. Confinement by any person as defined in this section shall be reported to the Police Department immediately. Possession of dogs/cats impounded under this section may be obtained by paying a fee set forth in the Village Fee Schedule, reference this Code section, to the Village Treasurer, plus any costs incurred for each day or fraction thereof the dog/cat has been impounded. Dogs/cats impounded for a period of seven days or vicious dogs/cats shall be destroyed in accordance with § 174.02(3), Wis. Stats.
A. 
No person or residential dwelling, regardless of the number of occupants, shall keep, maintain or harbor more than four animals (i.e., four dogs and zero cats; or three dogs, and one cat; or two dogs and two cats; or one dog and three cats; or zero dogs and four cats) over the age of three months within any residential district of the Village of Fox Crossing, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. "Residential district" means any part of parcel of land within the limits of the Village of Fox Crossing on which five or more residences are occupied within a distance of 1,000 feet of each other, excluding agricultural zoning.
B. 
Any person desiring to be exempt from the four-animal limit, described above, who does not qualify for a kennel license shall have the right to request the granting of a variance/exemption to the four-animal limit. The applicant requesting the exemption shall state the reasons and request for exemption and submit the written request to the Village Clerk. The Village Board shall then schedule the matter for the next Village Board meeting. The Village Board shall then review the request and either approve or deny the request for exemption. The exemption shall then be reviewed on an annual basis, unless there is any complaint of any Village resident prior to the annual review, which would then result in an immediate review of the exemption.
Any person who shall violate this article shall be subject to a fine consistent with the current ordinance Bond Schedule on file in the Police Department, which includes court costs and penalty assessments.