[Adopted 2-13-1989 by Ord. No. 695-89 as
§§ 12.10 and 12.15 of the 1989 Code]
It shall be unlawful for any person in the City
to own, harbor or keep any dog or cat more than five months of age
without complying with the provisions of this article and §§ 174.05
through 174.10, Wis. Stats., relating to the listing, licensing and
tagging of the same.
[Added by Ord. No. 825-95]
The license fee for a dog or cat shall be as
set by the Common Council.
[Added by Ord. No. 825-95; amended 3-10-2008 by Ord. No. 1006-2008]
The City Clerk shall collect a late fee as provided
in § 174.05(5), Wis. Stats., from every owner of a dog or
cat five months of age or older if the owner failed to obtain a license
prior to April 1 of each year or within 30 days of acquiring ownership
of a licensable dog or cat, or if the owner failed to obtain a license
on or before the dog or cat reached licensable age.
[Added by Ord. No. 753-91]
The owners of kennels may opt to pay a kennel license fee as set by the Common Council in lieu of the fees provided in § 150-5 above, and the City Clerk shall issue tags for each dog owned by the kennel owners. No kennel may be located in a residential district.
A.Â
License required. No person, except a kennel licensee, shall keep or harbor dogs or cats in a number in excess of the number permitted under § 150-17 below without a license.
B.Â
Application. An application for such license shall
be made on forms supplied by the City Clerk and filed with the City
Clerk.
[Amended 3-10-2008 by Ord. No. 1006-2008]
C.Â
License fee. The license fee shall be as set by the
Common Council.
D.Â
License conditions. The licensee shall keep his dogs
and/or cats in a manner that is clean, healthful and nonoffensive
to abutting property owners and shall otherwise comply with all requirements
of this article.
E.Â
Revocation or nonrenewal. When the Public Safety Committee, upon investigation, has reason to believe that a licensee is not keeping his pets in a clean, healthful or nonoffensive manner, or otherwise is not complying with the requirements of this article, it shall hold a hearing as provided by law. Upon determining that Subsection D above has not been complied with, the Committee may revoke or not renew the license.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep
a dog or cat in the City which is over five months of age and has
not received a rabies vaccination as required by § 95.21(2),
Wis. Stats., and this article. Cats shall be vaccinated every 24 months
and all other animals kept as pets and susceptible to rabies shall
be vaccinated periodically as certified by a licensed veterinarian.
No dog or cat license shall be issued until a certificate of rabies
vaccination, issued by a veterinarian, has been presented. A rabies
vaccination tag shall be attached to the collar of all licensed dogs
and cats at all times, except as provided in § 95.21(2)(f),
Wis. Stats.
In this article, unless the context of subject
matter otherwise requires, the terms used shall be defined as follows:
A dog or cat which is off the premises of the owner and not
under the control of the owner or some other person either by leash
or otherwise.
[Amended 3-9-2015 by Ord.
No. 1076-2015]
Homeless, wild or untamed.
[Added 3-9-2015 by Ord.
No. 1076-2015]
Any enclosure inaccessible to other animals, in which a person
keeps, harbors or maintains four or more dogs, cats or any combination
thereof under controlled conditions.
[Amended 3-9-2015 by Ord.
No. 1076-2015]
Any person owning, harboring or keeping a dog or cat, and
the occupant of any premises on which the dog or cat remains or to
which it customarily returns daily for a period of 10 days is presumed
to be harboring or keeping the dog or cat within the meaning of this
article.
Any unlicensed animal running at large.
[Added 3-9-2015 by Ord.
No. 1076-2015]
(See also Article III of this chapter.) It shall be unlawful for any person within the City to own, harbor or keep any dog or cat which:
A.Â
Habitually pursues vehicles upon any street, alley
or highway.
B.Â
Molests passersby or assaults or attacks any person
without provocation.
C.Â
Is at large within the limits of the City.
D.Â
Habitually barks or howls to the annoyance of any
person or persons. This subsection shall not apply to hospitals conducted
for the treatment of small animals or to the premises occupied or
used by the City Pound.
E.Â
Kills, wounds or worries any domestic animal.
F.Â
Damages the lawn or garden of another.
G.Â
Urinates or defecates on public property or other
private property. In the event that the animal defecates on another's
land or any public right-of-way, the owner shall immediately remove
the feces in a sanitary manner.
A.Â
Dogs and cats running at large. A dog or cat is considered to be running at large if it is off the premises of its owner and not under the control of the owner or some other person, as defined in § 150-10 above.
B.Â
Untagged dogs and cats. A dog or cat is considered
to be untagged if a valid license tag is not attached to a collar
which is kept on the dog or cat whenever the dog or cat is outdoors
unless the dog or cat is securely confined in a fenced area.
C.Â
Dogs and cats subject to impoundment. Police officers
shall attempt to capture and restrain any dog or cat running at large
and any untagged dog or cat.
Every person, including the owner or person
harboring or keeping a dog, cat or other animal, who knows that such
animal has bitten any person shall immediately report such fact to
the Police Department.
A.Â
A health officer or a police officer may order a dog,
cat or other animal quarantined if he has reason to believe that the
animal bit a person, is infected with rabies or has been in contact
with a rabid animal. If a quarantine cannot be imposed because the
animal cannot be captured, the officer may kill the animal. The officer
may kill an animal only as a last resort or if the owner agrees. The
officer shall attempt to kill the animal in a humane manner and in
a manner which avoids damage to the animal's head.
[Amended 10-14-2013 by Ord. No. 1057-2013]
B.Â
If a quarantine is ordered, the owner of the dog or
cat shall be subject to the provisions of § 95.21(5), (6)
and (8), Wis. Stats.
[Amended 3-9-2015 by Ord.
No. 1076-2015]
A.Â
Setting animals at large. No person shall open any door or gate of
any private premises for the purpose of setting any dog, cat or other
animal at large, except the owner of such animal.
B.Â
Feeding of stray or wild animals prohibited.
(1)Â
No person shall knowingly or recklessly leave food or any other type
of feed outdoors so as to attract animals running at large, stray
or wild animals. Exception: A person feeding wild birds on his/her
own property is not considered a violation.
(2)Â
No person may feed any stray dog or feral cat, except pending return
to a lawful owner or immediate transfer to an animal shelter.
A.Â
Impounding of dogs and cats. Whenever any police officer
or other person designated by the Chief of Police finds any dog or
cat running at large, he shall, if possible, pick up and impound such
animal. Whenever any impounded dog or cat bears an identification
mark such as a collar or license tag, due diligence shall be used
to notify the designated owner. If the owner is unknown or cannot
be ascertained, the officer shall post written notice in three public
places giving a written description of the dog or cat and stating
where it is impounded and the conditions for its release. Said notice
shall be posted within 48 hours, Sunday excepted, after such officer
shall have taken such dog or cat into his possession. Dogs or cats
with identification marks such as a collar or license tag shall be
impounded in the City for at least 24 hours before being transported
to the Beaver Dam Humane Society Pound. All dogs or cats without such
identifying marks may be immediately transferred to the Beaver Dam
Humane Society.
B.Â
Release of dog or cat to owner or representative.
The police officer or keeper of the Beaver Dam Humane Society Pound
may release the dog or cat to the owner or his representative if the
owner or representative:
C.Â
Release of dog or cat to person other than owner.
If the owner of the dog or cat is unknown or does not reclaim the
dog or cat within seven days, the police officer may release the dog
or cat to a person other than the owner if such person:
D.Â
Disposal of dog or cat or use for humane purposes.
If the dog or cat is not released to the owner or other person in
seven days, the keeper of the pound may dispose of the dog or cat
as provided in § 174.13, Wis. Stats., or dispose of the
dog or cat in a proper and humane manner.
[Added by Ord. No. 757-92]
No individual or family unit living together,
firm or corporation shall keep more than three dogs or cats or combination
thereof in or upon one residential unit, with the exception that a
litter of pups or kittens or a portion of a litter may be kept for
a period of time not exceeding six months from birth, unless the premises
is licensed as a kennel or unless a resident has obtained a pet fancier's
license.
[Added 10-13-2003 by Ord. No. 949-2003]
A.Â
For any official police canine, when it is deemed
by the handler that wearing of the tag and collar is likely to create
an unsafe working condition for the canine or handler, the license
tag and collar is not required to be attached to the canine while
performing official duties.
B.Â
Except for any police canine and notwithstanding any
other provisions of this article, no dog will be allowed on the City
municipal grounds or any portion thereof at any time.
C.Â
The Police K-9 shall not need to comply with § 150-14 regarding quarantining the animal after the animal has bitten any person or other animal within the City if the incident occurs while the canine is performing an official law enforcement function.
D.Â
The Police K-9 will be allowed in any City park.
A.Â
In addition to other penalties provided in this article,
the following penalties are imposed:[1]
(1)Â
Failure to obtain rabies vaccination. A dog or cat
owner who fails to have a dog or cat vaccinated against rabies, as
provided in this article, shall, upon conviction, forfeit not less
than $50 nor more than $100, as provided by § 95.21, Wis.
Stats.
(2)Â
Refusal to comply with quarantine order. An owner of a dog, cat or other animal who refuses to comply with an order issued under this article to deliver the animal to a police officer, the pound designated by the Council, or a veterinarian, or who does not comply with the conditions of an order that the animal be quarantined, shall, upon conviction, be subject to a penalty as provided in § 1-4 of this Code.