(a) 
Vaccination of dogs and cats required.
(1) 
Every owner of a dog or cat three (3) months of age or older shall have such animal vaccinated against rabies.
(2) 
All dogs or cats vaccinated at three (3) months of age or older shall be revaccinated at one (1) year of age and every three years thereafter. Any person moving into the city from a location outside of the city shall comply with this section within thirty (30) days after having moved into the city.
(3) 
If the dog or cat has inflicted a bite on any person, or another animal, within the last ten (10) days, the owner of said dog or cat shall report such act to the veterinarian, and no rabies vaccine shall be administered until after the ten (10) day observation period.
(b) 
Certificate of vaccination.
Upon vaccination, the veterinarian shall execute and furnish to the owner of the dog or cat, as evidence thereof, a certificate upon a form furnished by the veterinarian. The veterinarian shall retain a duplicate copy. Such certificate shall contain the following information:
(1) 
The name, address and telephone number of the owner of the vaccinated dog or cat;
(2) 
The date of vaccination;
(3) 
The type of rabies vaccine used;
(4) 
The year and number of rabies tag; and
(5) 
The breed, age, color, and sex of the vaccinated dog or cat.
(c) 
Rabies tags.
Concurrent with the issuance and delivery of the certificate of vaccination referred to, the owner of the dog or cat shall cause to be attached to the collar or harness of the vaccinated dog or cat a metal tag, serially numbered to correspond with the vaccination certificate number, and bearing the year of issuance and the name of the issuing veterinarian and his address. The owner shall cause the collar or harness, with the attached metal tag, to be worn by his dog or cat at all times.
(d) 
Duplicate tags.
In the event of loss or destruction of the original rabies tag, the owner of the dog or cat shall obtain a duplicate tag. Vaccination certificates and tags shall be valid only for the animal for which it was originally issued.
(e) 
Proof of vaccination.
It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or harbors a vaccinated dog or cat to fail or refuse to exhibit his copy of the certificate of vaccination upon demand to any person charged with the enforcement of this chapter.
(f) 
Harboring unvaccinated animal.
It shall be unlawful for any person to harbor any dog or cat that has not been vaccinated against rabies, as provided herein, or that cannot be identified as having a current vaccination certificate.
(g) 
Animals exposed to rabies.
Any person having knowledge of the existence of any animal known to have been, or suspected of being, exposed to rabies must immediately report such knowledge to the local health authority, giving any information that may be required. For any animal known to have been or suspected of being exposed to rabies, the following rules must apply:
(1) 
Animals having a current vaccination must be revaccinated immediately and confined according to the method prescribed by the local health authority for a period of not less than ninety (90) days.
(2) 
Animals not having a current vaccination should be humanely destroyed. However, if the owner of such an animal elects, he may, at his expense and in a manner prescribed by the local health authority, confine said animal. Such animal must be vaccinated immediately following exposure and quarantined for not less than six (6) months. A revaccination shall be done one (1) month prior to release from quarantine.
(Ordinance 2016-05-01, sec. 3, adopted 5/3/16)
(a) 
Any person having knowledge of an animal bite to a human will report the incident to the police or local health authority as soon as possible, but not later than twenty-four (24) hours from the time of the incident.
(1) 
The owner of the biting animal will place that animal in quarantine under the supervision of the local health authority.
(2) 
Utilizing standardized reporting forms provided by the department of state health services, the local health authority will investigate each bite incident.
(3) 
Human bites from rodents, rabbits, birds and all cold-blooded animals are excluded from the reporting requirements of this section.
(b) 
When an animal that has bitten a human is identified, the owner is required to produce the animal for ten (10) days’ confinement at the owner’s expense. Refusal to produce said dog or cat constitutes a violation of this section and each day of such refusal constitutes a separate and individual violation.
(1) 
The ten (10) day observation period will begin on the day of the bite incident.
(2) 
The animal must be placed in a licensed quarantine facility. However, the owner of the animal may request permission from the local health authority for home quarantine if the following criteria can be met:
(A) 
Secure facilities must be available at the home of the animal’s owner and must be approved by the local health authority.
(B) 
The animal is currently vaccinated against rabies.
(C) 
The animal control officer, local health authority or licensed veterinarian must observe the animal at least on the first and last days of the quarantine period.
(D) 
If the animal becomes ill during the observation period, the local health authority must be notified by the person having possession of the animal.
(E) 
At the end of the observation period, the release from quarantine must be accomplished in writing.
(F) 
The animal was not in violation of any laws at the time of the bite.
(G) 
The victim of the bite was a member of the immediate family.
(3) 
If the biting animal cannot be maintained in secure quarantine, it shall be humanely destroyed and the brain submitted to the department of state health services certified laboratory for rabies diagnosis.
(4) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to interrupt the ten (10) day observation period.
(5) 
No wild animal will be placed in quarantine. All wild animals involved in biting incidents will be humanely killed in such a manner that the brain is not mutilated. The brain shall be submitted to a department of state health services certified laboratory for rabies diagnosis.
(Ordinance 2016-05-01, sec. 4, adopted 5/3/16)