Town of Pinedale, WY Article III Animal Care and Control Regulations Generally

§ 122-13 Responsibility of owner.

Owners are responsible for control of their animals.

§ 122-14 Nuisances.

The following are considered to be nuisances and, as such, are prohibited.

A. Animals at large. No person or persons, firm, association or corporation owning, keeping or harboring any livestock, predatory animals, fowl or domestic animals shall permit the same to run at large within the corporate limits of the Town, including trespassing on school grounds or private property.

B. Uncontrolled animals.

(1) An animal shall be deemed to be under control if it is in proximity to its owner or another responsible person designated by the owner, at all times while off the premises of the owner and providing that such animal is not engaged in any action which would classify it as a nuisance under this title. In order for an animal to be considered under control it must be under physical restraint such that it does not interfere with the right of others' peaceable use of the streets, pathways, sidewalks or other public or private way.

(2) In addition to Subsection B(1) herein, an animal is not under control if it is running at large or unrestrained in the streets, along the sidewalks, or on any school ground, playground, park or place of public amusement or recreation.

(3) An animal is not under control if it molests passersby, chases vehicles, or attacks other domestic animals.

C. Disturbing the peace. A noisy animal as defined in this title is deemed a disturbance of the peace and is prohibited.

D. Noxious or offensive odors. No person shall allow noxious or offensive odors to emanate from an animal's living area.

E. Diseased animals. An animal that becomes an untreated source of communicable disease shall be deemed a nuisance.

F. Destruction of property. No domestic animal, livestock or fowl shall chew, tear, dig in or scratch, litter or soil, destroy, or in any other manner injure clothing, washing, garbage containers, gardens, flower beds, lawns, trees or shrubbery, fences or any other public or private property, real or personal.

G. Defecation (scoop the poop).

(1) Any person who has the charge and control of any animal on any public street, sidewalk, pathway, park, pedestrian way, or any public facility, or on any school ground, or on any private property not owned or possessed by the owner or person having the charge or control of such animal shall at all times:

(a) Maintain in his/her possession sufficient suitable wrappers, bags or containers for the purpose of complying with this section;

(b) Immediately and securely enclose all feces deposited by the animal in a bag, wrapper or other suitable container; and

(c) Dispose of collected feces in a sanitary manner.

(2) This section shall not apply to any service dog accompanying any handicapped person or a police dog in the performance of law enforcement duties.

H. Animals on the pathways. No person shall allow any dog belonging to him or her or in his or her custody to enter upon any pathway within the Town without the dog being under leash control. This section shall not apply to any guide dog accompanying any handicapped person or a police dog in the performance of law enforcement duties.

§ 122-15 Biting, aggressive or vicious animals.

A. Aggressive or vicious animals.

(1) It is unlawful for any person to own, keep, allow, or harbor upon any premises any animal of aggressive or vicious tendencies, as determined by the municipal court.

(2) Dogs trained and used for the security of government installations or trained and used by law enforcement agencies are specifically exempt from certain provisions of this section.

(3) If any aggressive or vicious animal so found at large cannot be safely caught and confined without danger to any officer, the animal may be destroyed without further action on the part of the officer.

(4) If after hearing it is established to the satisfaction of the municipal judge that such animal is vicious and dangerous to the public, the judge may order such animal destroyed.

(5) Any person having charge of or being the owner or keeper of any such animal found violating the provisions of this section, with the exception of Subsection A(2), is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $100, nor more than $750, to which may be added court costs. His permit to keep, harbor, or have custody of any animals shall be automatically revoked, and no new permit may be issued, for a period of one year.

(a) Any person who is found guilty of violating this section shall, within 10 days thereafter, humanely dispose of the offending animal, and remove it from the Town. No part of any permit fee shall be refunded. If any person so convicted fails to humanely dispose of or remove the offending animal as heretofore required, such animal shall be impounded by the Animal Control Officer and thereafter humanely disposed of.

(b) Upon violation of this section by any member of a given household, no permits or licenses for any new animals may be issued to any members of that same household for a period of one year; provided, however, that licenses and permits currently held by other household members may be renewed.

B. Control of biting domestic animals.

(1) Every owner shall take reasonable steps to prevent his or her domestic animal from biting a person or other domestic animal so as to break the skin or result in an open wound, or from engaging in an unprovoked attack on any person or other domestic animal. This subsection shall not apply if the biting domestic animal is on the owner's premises and either (a) the premises are clearly posted with warnings concerning the biting domestic animal; or (b) the entry onto the premises was unlawful. This section shall not apply to a police dog in the performance of law enforcement duties or a veterinarian treating domestic animals.

(2) Any domestic animal that bites another domestic animal or person, other than its owner or immediate family member, which results in an open wound, shall be reported by the owner to an Animal Control Officer. In the event the biting domestic animal may be a carrier of rabies or other communicable diseases, it may be apprehended and impounded.

(a) If the owner of a dog or cat which bites can show evidence of a current valid rabies vaccination, the dog or cat shall be returned to the owner after payment of impoundment fees as delineated in this title.

(b) If the owner cannot produce evidence of a current and valid rabies vaccination, the domestic animal, if capable of transmitting rabies, may be impounded and quarantined for a period of not less than 10 days or as long as necessary as determined by the Animal Control Officer after the attack to determine whether it has any disease which may be communicable to humans. Prior to release of the domestic animal to the owner, the owner of the animal shall pay the impoundment fees as delineated in this chapter.

(c) If the owner cannot produce evidence of a current and valid rabies vaccination and the owner does not desire to proceed pursuant to § 122-4A, the animal may be humanely destroyed and its remains analyzed for the presence of any disease communicable to humans, or may be forfeited to Happy Endings Animal Rescue for disposition. The owner shall pay all costs of destruction and analysis and any applicable impoundment and shelter fees, and shall be responsible for any court-ordered restitution to the victim.

C. Dog chasing, injuring or killing livestock or wildlife. It is unlawful for a dog to chase, injure or kill livestock or wildlife. Any dog found to be chasing, injuring or killing livestock or wildlife may be impounded until a determination is made by the Animal Control Officer or peace officer as to the propensity for the dog to continue to pose a threat to livestock or wildlife. If it is determined that the dog may pose a future threat to livestock or wildlife, the Municipal Court may order that the dog be humanely disposed of or restrictions be placed on the movements of the dog. This section does not limit the ability of an owner of livestock or his agent or any peace officer from killing a dog in the act of chasing, injuring or killing livestock pursuant to Wyoming Statute. This section does not limit the ability of a peace officer to utilize the provisions of Wyoming Statute that allows for killing of the dog at the time of an attack on wildlife.

§ 122-16 Disposal of dead animals.

It shall be unlawful to place the remains of any dead animal in garbage cans for pickup and disposal by employees of any franchise holder for garbage disposal in the Town. Notwithstanding the foregoing, licensed veterinary clinics and Animal Control Officers may dispose of animals in garbage receptacles with proper notice given to the garbage disposal franchise holders. The removal of any dead animal found in the Town of Pinedale shall be the responsibility of the owner of the property on which it was found.