Every person in the Town of Fulton who owns, harbors or keeps any dog
more than five months of age must comply with the provisions of §§ 174.05
through 174.09, Wis. Stats., relating to the listing, licensing and tagging
of said dog. Dog license fees shall be as established by the Town Board. The
late fee shall be as prescribed by § 174.05(5), Wis. Stats.
In this article, unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires,
the following terms shall have the meaning indicated:
AT LARGE
To be off the premises of the owner and not under the control of
some person either by leash or otherwise, but a dog within an automobile of
its owner or in an automobile of any other person with the consent of the
dog's owner shall be deemed to be on the owner's premises.
HABITUALLY
Customarily, by frequent practice or use. However it does not mean
entirely or exclusively.
OWNER
Any person owning, harboring, or keeping a dog. The occupant of any
premises on which a dog remains or to which it customarily returns daily for
a period of 10 days is presumed to be harboring or keeping the dog within
the meaning of this article.
RABIES
An acute virus disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals
usually transmitted by the bite of an animal.
It shall be unlawful for any person within the Town of Fulton to own,
harbor or keep any dog which:
A. Habitually pursues any vehicle upon a public street,
alley or highway in the Town;
B. Assaults or attacks any person;
C. Is at large within the limits of the Town;
D. Habitually barks or howls to the annoyance of any person
or persons;
E. Kills, wounds, or worries any domestic animal;
F. Is known by such person to be infected with rabies or
to have been bitten by an animal known to have been infected with rabies.
Every owner or person harboring or keeping a dog who knows that such
dog has bitten any person shall immediately report such fact to the Health
Officer and shall keep such dog confined for not less than 14 days or for
such a period of time as the Health Officer shall direct. The owner or keeper
of any such dog shall surrender the dog to the Health Officer or any Town
law enforcement officer upon command for examination.
In addition to any penalty hereinafter provided for a violation of this
article, law enforcement/animal control officers may impound any dog and any
law officer of the Town may kill any dog which habitually pursues any vehicle
upon any street, alley or highway of the Town, habitually barks or howls,
kills, wounds or worries any domestic animal or is infected with rabies. Possession
of any dog impounded under this section may be obtained by paying a fee as
set by the Town Board to the Town Clerk/Treasurer plus an additional fee as
set by the Town Board for each twenty-four-hour period or fraction thereof
the dog has been impounded. Dogs impounded for a period of seven days may
be destroyed by or under the direction of the officer or a pound to whom the
dog is delivered.
Any person who wishes to operate a kennel in the Town of Fulton must
first obtain a kennel license from the Town Board. No such license may be
granted to an individual to operate a kennel in a platted area.
Any person who violates any provision of this article shall be subject to forfeiture as provided in Chapter
1, §
1-4 and Chapter
20, Citations, of this Code. In addition, court costs and costs of prosecution shall be assessed for each such violation.
[Added 6-8-2000 (Ch. 7, § 3p of the
1996 Code)]
Any person who shall keep or permit to be kept any wild, exotic or vicious
animals as a pet shall be required to register the same with the Town of Fulton
by filing the required registration form with the Town Clerk/Treasurer and
pay the required fee. The registration form shall provide sufficient information
concerning the description of the animal, address and location where the animal
is kept. The Town Clerk/Treasurer shall determine if sufficient information
is submitted.
In this article the following definitions shall apply:
VICIOUS ANIMAL
Any animal, reptile and/or fish that constitutes a physical threat
to human beings or other animals.
WILD AND EXOTIC ANIMALS
A.
Any poisonous snake, constricting snake, tarantula, live monkey, including
all nonhuman primates, raccoon, skunk, wolf, squirrel, fox, leopard, panther,
tiger, lion, lynx or other warm-blooded animal which can normally be found
in a wild state and any member of the crocodilian family, including but not
limited to alligators, crocodiles, caymans and gavials.
B.
Guard dogs, ferrets, rabbits and laboratory rats which have been bred
in captivity and which have never known the wild shall be excluded from this
article.