Chapter 6.12
ANIMAL CONTROL REGULATIONS GENERALLY
Sections:
6.12.010 Acts requiring impoundment.
6.12.020 Notice to owner of impounded livestock.
6.12.030 Prohibited acts by owners--Cruelty to animals.
6.12.040 Confinement of animals.
6.12.050 Response to complaints.
6.12.010 Acts requiring impoundment.
It is the duty of the animal control officer to take up within the incorporated area of this city and impound:
A. Any animal not having attached to its body a current license tag where such is required by this title;
B. Any animal when there is reason to believe said animal has been abandoned by the owner thereof;
C. Any animal found trespassing on public or private property when such animal has destroyed anything of value on said property;
D. Any female dog running at large while in heat;
E. Any patently vicious animal not under the immediate control of its owner or keeper;
F. Any dog trespassing upon any farm whereon livestock or domestic fowl are kept;
G. Any animal staked or tied on any street or other public place or upon any private property without consent of the owner or occupant thereof; provided, that this subsection shall only be enforced upon complaint of an interested party;
H. Any animal when, in the opinion of the animal control officer, such taking up is necessary for the health and safety of the community;
I. Any animal at large in violation of any law of this state;
J. Any animal when such impounding is, in the opinion of the animal control officer, necessary to facilitate investigation, prosecution or enforcement of this title or any other law of this city or state. (Ord. 459 S401, 1970)
6.12.020 Notice to owner of impounded livestock.
The animal control director shall within twenty-four hours after the impounding of any other animal, including bovine animals, horses, mules or burros (except weekends and holidays), cause to be mailed to the place of business or residence of the owner or keeper of the animal, if known to him, a written notice that such animal has been impounded and the date of the impounding. If such owner or keeper is not known to the animal control director, and the animal is not claimed within fourteen days, it shall be disposed of in the manner prescribed by this section and the Food and Agricultural Code. (Ord. 682 §4, 1988)
6.12.030 Prohibited acts by owners--Cruelty to animals.
It is unlawful within the incorporated area of this city for any person owning, harboring or controlling any animal, knowingly to:
A. Abandon said animal in the incorporated area of the city;
B. Permit said animal to trespass on public or private property so as to damage or destroy anything of value thereon, or to commit a nuisance thereon;
C. Permit the animal to run at large when he knows, or should have known, that the animal is vicious to the safety of any person or animal;
D. In the case of a female dog, to permit such dog to run at large or remain accessible to other dogs running at large while said female dog is in heat or breeding condition;
E. To permit such dog to trespass on any farm whereon livestock or domestic fowl are kept;
F. Permit the animal to be staked or tied on any street or other public place, or upon any private property without the consent of the owner or occupant thereof, provided that this subsection shall only be enforced upon complaint of an interested party;
G. To refuse to display the animal to the animal control officer upon his reasonable request together with a current license tag for such animal if such is required by this title;
H. Refuse to obey the conditions of a lawfully imposed quarantine;
I. Permit any dog under the age of four months to run at large;
J. In the case of a dog required to be licensed pursuant to this title to permit to remain attached to the dog a license issued by the city council or any other city or county in the state for the current or immediately preceding year when the license was not issued for that dog;
K. In addition to other provisions contained herein, permit it to be at large or be pastured or kept on any street or other public place, on private property against the wishes of the owner or occupant, or in any manner or place to the injury of the owner or occupant of any other property. As used in this section, “at large,” means an animal not under restraint by leash, not in an enclosed area, or not under the direct control of the owner. A hunting dog is to be presumed to be under direct control of its owner when performing in the act of legally hunting game, upland or waterfowl or within the area of confines of its owner’s property. A stock dog is presumed to be under direct control of its owner when performing its herding duties. (Ord. 485 §1, 1973; Ord. 459 §402, 1970)
6.12.040 Confinement of animals.
A. Every person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of a dog shall keep it exclusively upon his own premises; provided, however, that such dog may be off such premises if it is under the control of a competent person and restrained by a substantial chain or leash not exceeding six feet in length.
B. The following purposes are permitted and excepted herefrom, provided the dog does not present a hazard to the public safety and welfare, does not trespass upon private property, cause a nuisance or violate any other provision of this title or state law:
1. Lawful hunting;
2. Livestock herding and control on public lands;
3. An animal being used by peace officers in the pursuit of their duties;
4. Organized field trials;
5. Tracking, obedience training/or show and other recognized work activities when under the direct control of the owner or handler. (Ord. 682 §6, 1988)
6.12.050 Response to complaints.
Whenever the animal control officer receives two or more complaints in writing from affected persons, no one of which is a member of the same household, that the animal is a habitual nuisance by reason of its barking, howling or making such other noise with such frequency and in such manner as to disturb the peace of the immediate neighborhood, he shall investigate and if he finds such a condition to exist, he shall send notice in writing to abate the same upon the person owning or keeping or harboring such animal. Failure to so abate the condition within ten days after receipt of said notice shall constitute a separate offense punishable as provided in Section 6.04.040 of this title. (Ord. 485 §2, 1973; Ord. 459 §403, 1970)