The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
Abandoned animal
means an animal which has been deserted, relinquished, or forsaken by its owner or which has no apparent owner, including stray or lost animals.
Animal
means any living vertebrate or invertebrate, domestic or wild, not including man.
Animal care services personnel
means the person(s) appointed by the chief of police with the consent of the city manager, to provide animal control and animal care services.
At large
means off the premises of the owner and not under the control of the owner or his employee or his agent by means of a leash, chain, rope, cord or such other personal presence and attention as will reasonably control a dog's actions and conduct.
Cat
shall be intended to mean both male and female.
Dog
shall be intended to mean both male and female.
Dog and cat license
is the printed or written permission issued by the city authorizing the holder to keep a dog and/or cat within the city. Dog and cat license tag is a metal tag on a design prescribed by the city and bearing the corresponding number of the dog and cat license.
Domesticated cat
means a cat that is socialized to humans and is appropriate as a companion to humans.
Ear-tipping
means a straight line cutting of the tip of the left ear of a cat while the cat is anesthetized.
Feral cat
means a cat that exists in a wild or untamed state, either due to birth or reversion to a wild state from domestication. The usual and consistent temperament of a feral cat is extreme fear and resistance to contact with humans. Feral cats are completely or substantially unsocialized to humans.
Feral cat caregiver
means a volunteer, uncompensated person who agrees to facilitate the trap-neuter-return program in accordance with this chapter and any rules and regulations established by the chief of police.
Feral cat colony
means a group of cats that congregates, more or less, together as a unit. Although not every cat in a colony may be feral, any non-feral cats that congregate with a colony shall be deemed a part of it.
Ferret
shall be intended to mean both male and female.
Owner
means any person or persons, business entity or other type of entity owning, keeping, feeding, harboring or otherwise caring for a dog or cat, including keeping, harboring, feeding or otherwise caring for stray dogs or cats. An owner does not include a feral cat caregiver participating in an authorized trap-neuter-return program.
Quarantine
is to detain or isolate on account of suspected contagion.
Trap-neuter-return program
means a program pursuant to which feral and stray cats are trapped, evaluated, neutered or spayed, vaccinated against rabies and returned to the area where they congregate.
Vicious dog
shall be any dog which has bitten or attempted to bite or attacked or attempted to attack any person in a vicious manner.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
The owner of any dog, cat or ferret over four (4) months of age shall license and register such owner's dogs, cats and ferrets yearly. Dog, cat and/or ferret licenses shall be issued by the city administrative office upon payment of a one-time license fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) for each dog, cat or ferret. The owner shall state at the time application is made for such license and upon forms provided for such purposes his name and address, and the name, breed, color and sex of each dog, cat and/or ferret. Owners of dogs, cats and/or ferrets who show proof that their dog, cat and/or ferret has been spayed or neutered shall be issued a license upon a one-time payment of the license fee of five dollars ($5.00) for each dog, cat or ferret. Owners of dogs, cats and/or ferrets who show proof that their dog, cat and/or ferret has a microchip implant can register their animal at no charge.
Every owner shall be required to provide each dog, cat and/or ferret with a collar and tag that shall be constantly worn. In case a dog, cat and/or ferret tag is lost or destroyed, a duplicate receipt shall be issued showing the payment of the license fee for the current year and the payment of a three dollars ($3.00) fee for such duplicate. Dog, cat and/or ferret tags shall not be transferable from one (1) dog, cat and/or ferret to another, and no refund shall be made on any dog, cat and/or ferret license fee because of death of the dog, cat and/or ferret or the owner's relocation from the city.
An owner of a dog, cat and/or ferret can choose to have a RFID (radio frequency identification) implanted under the skin of the animal performed at a veterinary hospital, in lieu of license tags. The microchip implant does not exempt the owner of the animal from registration.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
An owner of a dog, cat or ferret must have the animal vaccinated against rabies in a manner that satisfies the requirement of state law. Dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies prior to four (4) months of age and again twelve (12) months after the first rabies vaccination. Subsequent booster rabies vaccinations must be repeated at one (1) or three (3) year intervals depending upon the vaccine used by the veterinarian.
The licensed veterinarian vaccinating the animal shall furnish the owner a rabies tag made of durable material. A tag issued for a dog, cat and/or ferret must be attached to the collar of the animal and must be worn at all times. Rabies tags are not transferable.
All dogs and cats within the city limits shall be currently immunized against rabies.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
It shall be the duty of any person owning or having charge of any dog or cat which may have bitten, clawed or scratched a person to have such dog or cat confined by a licensed veterinarian for a period of ten (10) days, and if for any reason the dog or cat is not so confined by the owner or other person keeping the same, the police shall impound such pet for observation. If, at the expiration of ten (10) days, the health of the dog or cat is satisfactory, the dog or cat may be released upon the payment by the owner of all expenses incurred by such confinement and compliance with all provisions of this chapter.
In the alternative, at the discretion of the chief of police, any dog or cat subject to the requirements of this section may be confined for the required period of time by the owner or keeper of such dog or cat under the supervision and direction of the chief of police or a licensed veterinarian, provided that the permission hereby granted may be revoked by the chief of police, in which event the dog or cat shall be immediately transferred to a licensed veterinarian. If permitted to be confined by the owner, a licensed veterinarian shall be required to inspect such animal a minimum of two (2) times during the ten-day period, at the expense of the owner or keeper of the animal, and the police may inspect the dog or cat at any time.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
It shall be unlawful for any keeper of any vicious dog to permit any such dog to run at large regardless of any other provision contained in this chapter. Prosecution of any such owner of a vicious dog may be instituted in municipal court by any person filing a sworn complaint charging such owner with allowing or permitting a vicious dog to run at large, that such dog has bitten or attempted to bite or attacked or attempted to attack any person in a vicious manner. The person making the complaint must not have been at the time of such attack trespassing inside the home of the owner or within the enclosure of the dog and be not otherwise at fault.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
It shall be unlawful for any person owning any dog to permit it to be outside of such owner's premises upon the streets, alleys or other public places of the city, unless the dog shall be at all times under the control of the owner or his employee or agent by means of a leash, chain, rope or cord of sufficient strength to control the actions of said dog. The owner of a sexually intact (not spayed or neutered) domesticated cat shall not permit the domesticated cat to roam unsupervised.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
It shall be the duty of city animal care service personnel to apprehend any dog and/or cat found roaming at large contrary to the provisions of this chapter and to impound such dog and/or cat in a designated veterinary hospital/quarantine facility. Any cat deemed to be a nuisance under the provisions of this chapter by any person filing a sworn complaint may be impounded by city animal care services personnel. City animal care services personnel shall make a registry of each dog and/or cat impounded, entering the breed, color and sex and whether licensed. If licensed, he shall enter the name and address of the owner and the number of the license tag.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
Animal care services personnel may, as an alternative to traditional capture equipment, utilize humane cage style traps as a means of apprehending animals deemed to be a nuisance on public property or city owned property. Animal care services personnel shall not trap any animal on private property unless the property owner or agent of the property owner requests the removal of a nuisance animal. All requests for animal care services personnel to trap on private property shall be in writing on the applicable request form provided by the chief of police for that purpose. Traps will not be set during weekends, city holidays or during times of inclement weather without the authorization of the chief of police.
All trapped domestic animals shall be impounded under the provisions of section 4-7. Non-domestic animals will be relocated away from residential areas unless the animal is of a species that relocation is disallowed by state law.
Any person who is a property owner or agent of that property owner may trap nuisance non-domestic animals on their property. The trapping of all species of domestic animals, to include feral cats, stray cats and stray dogs, is the responsibility of animal care services to ensure all the provisions of animal cruelty laws are met. Any person who traps a domestic animal, to include feral cats and stray cats and stray dogs, may be subject to criminal prosecution if it is determined animal cruelty laws are violated. Any person who unintentionally traps a domestic animal, to include feral cats, stray cats and stray dogs, shall immediately release the animal at the site where it was trapped. The relocation and abandonment of any species of domestic animal is prohibited by state law.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008; Ordinance adopting 2024 Code)
Not later than three (3) days after the impounding of any dog and/or cat, the owner shall be notified. If the owner of the dog and/or cat is unknown, notice shall be posted within twenty-four (24) hours of impoundment for three (3) consecutive days at a conspicuous place in the city hall describing the dog and/or cat impounded. Any facility approved by the city council as the designated veterinary hospital/quarantine facility shall retain an impounded animal for at least five (5) working days so that the owner of such animal shall have the opportunity to reclaim it. If its owner does not reclaim an impounded animal within five (5) working days from the date of impoundment, the designated veterinary hospital/quarantine facility may, with approval of a representative of the city, offer for adoption, sell or dispose of such animal in accordance with standard humane procedures, including euthanasia.
The owner may reclaim such dog and/or cat upon payment of (1) a license fee (if unregistered), (2) an administrative fee to the city for the impounding of said dog and/or cat, and (3) all boarding charges due the city's designated veterinary hospital/quarantine facility. The owner must bring proof of current rabies vaccination when reclaiming the dog and/or cat at the city's designated veterinary hospital. If the animal is not currently vaccinated or the owner cannot find proof of current vaccination, the animal must be vaccinated, at the owner's expense, prior to the animal being released.
The first time a dog and/or cat is reclaimed by its owner, no administrative fee is charged. The second time a dog and/or cat is reclaimed by its owner an administrative fee of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) will be charged. The third time a dog and/or cat is reclaimed by its owner an administrative fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) will be charged, the fourth and all subsequent times a dog and/or cat is reclaimed by its owner an administrative fee of two hundred dollars ($200.00) will be charged.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
It shall be the duty of the operator of the designated veterinary hospital/quarantine facility to keep all unclaimed dogs and/or cats delivered to it by the city animal warden for a minimum of five (5) working days from date of the impound. If after the expiration of five (5) days from the date of the impound, such dog and/or cat has not been redeemed, it may be disposed of by adoption, sale or destruction; provided, however, if the end of the five (5) days period falls on a Saturday or Sunday, or on a national holiday, the operator of the designated veterinary hospital/quarantine facility shall wait until the afternoon of the next business day prior to the adoption, sale, or destruction of such dog and/or cat.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
No person, persons, or entity shall abandon any dog and/or cat, which the person or entity has within his or its control either temporarily or permanently within the corporate limits of the city; nor shall any person, person, or entity allow any dog and/or cat within his or its control either temporarily or permanently, to be left without proper shelter, food and water within the corporate limits of the city.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
No person, persons, firm, association, or corporation shall torture, deprive of necessary sustenance, fail to provide adequate shelter during inclement weather, unnecessarily or cruelly beat nor needlessly mutilate or kill any animal, nor carry any animal in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, in a cruel or inhume manner, nor procure the same to be done, within the corporate limits of the city. As used in this section, the words "torture" and "cruelly" include every act, omission or neglect whereby unnecessary pain or suffering is caused, permitted or allowed.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
It shall be unlawful for any owner to fail to exercise sufficient care of an animal to prevent such animal from becoming a nuisance. It is hereby declared a nuisance for an animal to:
(1) 
Make or create loud and obnoxious noises such as barking, howling, or yelping which disturbs the peace and quiet of a neighborhood or occupants of adjacent premises;
(2) 
Molest passersby;
(3) 
Chase pedestrians, bicycles or vehicles;
(4) 
Attack other animals;
(5) 
Defecate upon public or private property other than the property of the owner;
(6) 
Trespass upon private property other than the property of the owner in such a manner as to damage or disrupt such property, including digging up gardens or plants and foraging or overturning trash and garbage containers.
It shall also be unlawful and a nuisance for any animal owner to permit accumulations of animal waste on his premises so as to create noxious odors or a health hazard.
No culpable mental state shall be required to support conviction under this section.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008)
In order to effectively and humanely control feral cat populations within its jurisdictional boundaries, the city shall sponsor a trap-neuter-return program in an effort to reduce the feral cat population over time without the necessity of wholesale capture and euthanasia. The city may establish a fund or provide services to offset the costs of trapping, neutering, and vaccinating captured feral cats that can be returned to an appropriate, controlled, protected, and authorized colony site. Caregivers for colonies, whether one (1) or several feral cats, may be aided by the city in providing traps, transportation to a spay/neuter facility and offsetting costs, to the extent that funding is available.
Caregivers of feral cat colonies shall implement proper management and sterilization practices and seek the assistance of animal care services personnel and/or the chief of police in order to:
(1) 
Sterilize (spay/neuter) all adult cats that can be captured. Ear-tipping will be used as a means of visually identifying sterilized feral cats.
(2) 
Vaccinate, as required by law, all cats that can be captured against rabies, preferably with a three-year vaccine and against any other infectious disease as may be mandated by law.
(3) 
Make every attempt to remove kittens from the colony before eight (8) weeks of age for domestication and placement.
(4) 
Make every attempt to remove sick or injured cats from the colony for immediate veterinarian care or humane euthanasia.
(5) 
Caregivers assuming responsibility for feeding feral cats will be responsible for adhering to the following regulations in order to avoid attracting wildlife and vermin either intentionally or unintentionally:
(1) 
Feral cats and feral cat colonies shall not be fed on city-owned or public property, to include, roadways, alleys, easements, and rights-of-way.
(2) 
Feral cats and feral cat colonies shall only be fed on private property with authorization from the property owner or an authorized agent.
(3) 
Feral cats and feral cat colonies shall be fed using bowls, plates, pans, or a similar utensil to contain the food; food shall not be poured on the ground for the purpose of providing food.
(4) 
Food provided for feral cats or feral cat colonies shall not be left out during hours of darkness to avoid attracting wildlife or vermin.
Animal care services personnel shall maintain all records of their activities relating to the city trap-neuter-return program to include proof of sterilization, vaccination, relocation, adoption, and medical care records. Other responsibilities include:
(1)
Help to resolve complaints over the conduct of a colony caregiver or of cats within a managed colony.
(2)
Maintain records and prepare monthly reports on the following:
 
(a)
Number of cats and kittens spayed and neutered pursuant to the trap-neuter-return program; and
 
(b)
Number of cats and kittens placed in permanent homes.
Enforcement: The city shall retain the following rights:
(1)
The right to seize or remove cats from a colony that have not been vaccinated against rabies and which are demonstrating signs of the disease;
(2)
The right to seize/remove a cat from a colony that is creating a nuisance as defined in this chapter after the caregiver has been afforded thirty (30) days to remove and relocate the cat and has failed to do so; and
(3)
The right to seize and remove a colony of cats when a caregiver is unable to provide care and management of the colony and has not been able to obtain a replacement or substitute caregiver.
The provisions of this chapter notwithstanding, animal care services personnel and police officers may investigate any nuisance complaint.
(Ordinance 1754 adopted 2/11/2008; Ordinance 1880 adopted 9/13/2010)