Town of East Greenwich, RI Article V Rabies Control

§ 23-25 Bite reports; isolation; examination and diagnosis; vaccination; quarantine; infected animals.

A. Every animal which bites a person shall be promptly reported to the Animal Control Officer and shall thereupon be securely quarantined at the direction of the Animal Control Officer for a period of 14 days. Such animal shall not be released from such quarantine except by written permission of the Animal Control Officer. At the discretion of the Animal Control Officer, the quarantine may be on the premises of the owner, at the dog pound or, at the owner's option and expense, in a veterinary hospital of his or her choice. In the case of stray animals, or in the case of animals whose ownership is not known, such quarantine shall be at the shelter designated by the Animal Control Officer.

B. The owner, upon demand by the Animal Control Officer, shall forthwith surrender any animal which has bitten a human or which is suspected of having been exposed to rabies for supervised quarantine, the expenses of which shall be borne by the owner. The animal may be reclaimed by the owner if it is adjudged free of rabies upon payment of such fees set forth from time to time by the Town Council.

C. When rabies has been diagnosed in an animal under quarantine or rabies is suspected by a licensed veterinarian, and the animal dies while under such observation, the Animal Control Officer shall immediately send the head of such animal to the State Health Department for a pathological examination and shall notify the proper public health officer of reports of human contact and diagnosis.

D. When either of the reports required in Subsection C of this section indicates a positive diagnosis of rabies, the President of the Town Council or Councilman designated by him or her shall recommend an areawide quarantine for a period of 90 days, and upon invoking of such emergency quarantine, no animal shall be taken into the streets or permitted to be in the streets during the period of the quarantine. During the quarantine, no animal may be taken or shipped from the Town without written permission of the Chief of Police or his or her designated authority.

E. During the quarantine period required by Subsection D of this section, and as long afterward as necessary to prevent the spread of rabies, all dogs and cats three months of age and older shall be required to be vaccinated against rabies with a rabies vaccine approved by the Biologics Control Section of the United States Department of Agriculture. The types of approved antirabies vaccine to be used and the recognized duration of immunity for each shall be established by the State Department of Health. All vaccinated dogs and cats shall be restricted (by leashing or confinement on enclosed premises) for 30 days after vaccination. During the quarantine period, the State Department of Health shall be empowered to provide for a program of mass immunization by the establishment of temporary emergency rabies vaccination clinics appropriately located in the Town.

F. No animal which has been impounded by reason of it being a stray or unclaimed by its owner is allowed to be claimed during the period of the rabies emergency quarantine, except by special authorization of the Animal Control Officer.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. IV).

G. Animals bitten by a known rabid animal shall be immediately destroyed or, if the owner is unwilling to destroy the exposed animal, strict isolation of the animal in a kennel or other place designated by the Animal Control Officer for six months shall be required. If the animal has been previously vaccinated within the time limits established by the State Department of Health based on the kind of vaccine used, the animal shall be revaccinated and confined within a building or secure enclosure for 30 days.

H. If there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of the quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended for an additional six months.

I. No person shall kill, or cause to be killed, any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any animal biting a human except as provided in this section, nor remove such an animal from the Town without written permission from the Animal Control Officer.

J. The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall, upon demand, be surrendered to the Animal Control Officer.

K. The Animal Control Officer shall direct the disposition of any animal found to be infected with rabies.

L. No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction as required in this section when demand is made therefor by the Animal Control Officer.

§ 23-26 Physician to report.

It shall be the duty of every physician or other medical practitioner to report to the Animal Control Officer at the Police Department the names and addresses of persons treated for bites inflicted by animals, together with such other information as will be helpful in rabies control.

§ 23-27 Veterinarians to report.

It shall be the duty of every licensed veterinarian to report to the Animal Control Officer any animal considered by the veterinarian to be a rabies suspect.

§ 23-28 Dogs and cats to be vaccinated.

No dog or cat over six months old shall be permitted within the Town limits unless such dog or cat shall have been vaccinated or immunized in the manner set forth in this article within a period of 12 months, if such dog or cat shall have been vaccinated or immunized with the one-year vaccine, or within a period of 24 months, if such dog shall have been vaccinated or immunized by the two-year vaccine.

§ 23-29 Keeping unvaccinated dog or cat.

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep or harbor any dog or cat over six months old within the Town unless such dog or cat shall have been vaccinated or inoculated in accordance with the provisions of this article and unless said dog has been issued a license by the Town. Cats shall not be required to be licensed.

§ 23-30 Vaccine standards; certificate.

The vaccination or immunization referred to in § 23-28 shall be by a vaccine approved by the State Department of Health and shall be certified to by a licensed veterinarian. The certificate shall be dated as of the date of inoculation or vaccination, shall show the rabies tag number, the sex and breed of the dog or cat and the owner thereof, and whether the vaccine given is the one-year vaccine or the two-year vaccine. Such certificate shall certify that the dog or cat has been properly vaccinated or inoculated in accordance with the provisions of this article.

§ 23-31 Certificate prerequisite to license.

No license shall be issued for any dog required to be licensed unless the person making application therefor shall first present to the Town Clerk or other person duly authorized to issue such license a current certificate of vaccination or inoculation, as provided in this article, for the dog for which such license is requested.

§ 23-32 Impounding of unvaccinated dogs and cats.

A. Any dog or cat over six months old found within the limits of the Town without evidence that such dog or cat has been vaccinated or inoculated in accordance with the provisions of this article shall be impounded by any police officer or other authorized person for a period not exceeding five days, during which time such dog or cat may be returned to is owner upon proof of ownership, vaccination of the dog or cat, and payment by such owner of all impoundment fees required by § 23-14 of this chapter.

B. At the expiration of the five-day period mentioned in Subsection A of this section, any dog or cat not so claimed by its owner shall be disposed of.