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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Regulating Dogs and Cats i i ORDINANCE NO. 695 AN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE KEEPING OF DOGS AND CATS IN THE CITY OF AMES, IOWA, AND PROVIDING FOR THE OBSERVATION UNDER CONFINEMENT OF BITING DOGS, AND SPECIAL PROVISION FOR THE CONTROL OF RABIES AND PRESCRIBING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AMES, IOWA: Section I . DEFINITIONS. The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and the enforcement of this ordinance. (a) "Dog" includes all domesticated members of the canis- familaris, male or female, whether altered or not. (b) "Cat" includes all members of the felis-domestica family. (c) "Owner" includes any person, firm or corporation owning, harboring, sheltering or keeping a dog or cat. (d) "At Large" includes any dog or cat off the premises of its owner or upon the public streets, alleys, public grounds, school grounds or parks, within the City of Ames. A dog shall not be deemed at large if: 1. It is attached to a leash of sufficient strength to restrain the do and not more than ten (10) feet in length, where said leash is held by a person competent to govern the dog; or 2. When properly restrained within a motor vehicle or housed in an animal hospital approved by City Health Officer. Section 2. LICENSE FEE PAYABLE BY. (a) The City Assessor shall issue dog licenses ulmn due application and payment of the fee provided hereinafter. The licensee, upon procure ment of the license, shall securely attach the license tag to a collar or j harness, and this collar or harness with the license tag attached shall at all times be kept on the dog for which the license is issued. Any dog found without a collar or harness to which a license tag is attached shall be deemed unlicensed, and shall be impounded. (b) The head of the family shall be liable for payment of the license fee on any dog owned, harbored or kepid by any member of the family. (c) It shall be unlawful for any owner to own , possess or harbor a dog in the City of Ames without having obtained a license therefor in compliance with the provisions hereinafter set forth, except that a license shall not be required for dogs under the age of three (3) months which are confined to the owners premises. (d) The individual license fee shall be $ 1.50 per calendar year or , fraction thereof. The owner shall file application for license with the City Assessor. This application shall give the name and address of owner; breed, sex and description of dog, and shall be accompanied by a veterinarianIs certificate of vaccination for rabies dated not more than i sixty (60) days prior to application. i (e) The license must be secuted _ by Jan. 1 each year or at the time a dog comes into possession or ownership, or which has reached the age of 3 months after said date. The first license required by this ordinance shall be for the year commending January 1 , 1951. Section 3. HARBORING VICIOUS DOG, It shall be unlawful for any person to harbor or keep a vicious dog within the City of Ames. A dog is deemed to be vicious when it shall have attacked or bitten any person (without provocation), or when propensity to attack or bit persons shall exist and is known or ought reasonably to be known to the owner. Section 4. IMPOUNDING; REPOSSESSION OR DISPOSAL. (a) Any dog found at large as previously defined without a proper license from the City of -mes, shall be subject to seizure and impound- ment in the place provided by the City of Ames. (b) The possession of any licensed dog so seized or impounded may be obtained by the owner upon payment of the sum of $ 2.00 plus the current daily fee for keeping such dog for each day or fraction thereof during which the said dog has been impounded and upon proper identifica- tion of said dog II,,��The. ossession of any unlicensed dog may be obtained by the owner after; i se and paying the fees provided herein. (c) Any dog not reclaimed by the owner within three days may be disposed of as prescribed by the Health Officer. Section 5. DOGS OR CATS DISTURBING THE PEACE. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, have in his possession or harbor any dog or cat which by frequent and habitual howling, yelping, barking or otherwise, shall cause a serious annoyance or disturbance to persons or to the nEighborhood. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation keeping owning or sheltering a dog or cat to allow or permit such animal to pass upon the premises of another causing damage or annoyance or otherwise interfering with the premises. (c) No person shall be convicted under the provision of this section except upon evidence of two or more persons of different households. Section 6. FEMALE DOGS IN SEASON 1 It shall be unlawful for any owner to allow his female dog that is in season) to run at large or to so confine her as to attract male dogs to the area and by their presence cause a nuisance. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be punished as provided in this ordinance and the dog shall be subject to seizure and impoundment at the expense of the owner, during the remainder of the heat period. Section 7. RABIES (a) All dogs and cats three (3) months or more of age shall be vaccinated for rabies. The rabies vaccination tag attached to the dog's collar or harness shall be accepted as evidence of vaccination, this tag must be a current one. - 3 - (b) The owner of any dog or cat which has contracted rabies, or which has been subject to same or which is suspected of having rabies, or which ah all have bitten any person, shall upon demand of the police department or health officer of the City of Ames produce and surrender up such dog or cat to such department to be held in quarantine for observation for a period determined by the city health officer at the expense of the owner of said dog or cat. (c) At the discretion of the health officer it may be permissible for the owner to property confine his dog or cat instead of having it impounded. The term "properly confined" shall be construed to include. (1) Chaining at home or peeing at home if the dog or cat be so protected as to prevent intimate approach of any other animal or person by a metal or wood barrier of sufficient size, height and construction as to absolutely prevent the ingress or egress of person or animal (2) Confinement in an animal hospital under the supervision of a registered veterinarian. (d) If, upon examination by a veterinarian any dog or cat shall prove to be infected with rabies, such dog or cat shall be disposed of as directed by the health officer. It shall be the duty of said veterinarian to notify the city health officer of any positive rabies case found, without delay. (e) Any animal bitten or attacked by any known rabid animal, shall be quarantined under supervision of the city health officer by being confined, as provided above for a period of not less than ninety (90) days. (f) Any person who shall knowingly harbor or keep any dog or cat infected with rabies, or any dog or cat known to have been bitten by a rabid dog or cat or who shall fail to report to the police or health officer, the existence of a dog or cat which he knows to be so infected or who shall fail to produce and surrender up any dog or cat pursuant to subsection (b) hereof, shall be punished as provided in this ordinance. (g) Any person finding a dead dog or cat shall at once notify the police department. Upon receipt of such notice the dead dog or cat will be picked up and delivered to the Iowa Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to be checked for rabies. Section 8. CONTROL OF RABIES OUTBREAK. Section 8 of this ordinance shall be nonfunctioning until such time as the city board of health by resolution shall deblare a state of emergency, due to rabies, exists and the City Council shall by resolution make such section effective. (a) It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat to permit or suffer such dog or cat to be at large. Any dog or cat found at large shall be deemed to be so with the permission or at the sufferance of its owner. (b) It shall be unl&iwful for any person except the owner of a dog or cat or his agent to open any door or gate of any private premises, or to otherwise entice or enable any dog or cat to leave any private premise 3, for the purpose or with the result of setting such dog or cat at large. (c) Any dog or cat found at large shall be impounded by the polic department whether licensed or not. Section 9. VIOLATION OF PROVISIONS i Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall, upon conviction be fined a sum not exceeding $ 100.00 and costs and in default of payment be committed to the City or County jail until such fine and costs are paid not exceeding 30 days or a jail sentence may be imposed not exceeding the said 30 days. Section 10. REPEAL AND DATE OF EFFECT. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed; and this ordinance shall be in full force and effect immediately upon its adoption and publication as provided by law. Section 11. UNCONSTITUTIONALITY CLAUSE. Should any section, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance be declared unconstitutional or invalid for any reason, the remainder of said ordinance shall not be affected thereby. Passed this 6th day of November, 1950. W. Prather, City Clerk W. L. Alan, Mayor Moved by Winfrey, seconded by Moore, that Ordinance No. 695 be passed on its first reading. Voting .A.ye; Griffith, Bauge, De La Hunt, Horning, Winfrey, Moore. Voting Nay: None Moved by Moore, seconded by Horning, that the rules be suspended, the second and third readings omitted and Ordinance No. 695 placed on final passage. Voting Aye: Griffith, Bauge, De La Hunt, Horning, Winfrey, Moore. Voting Nay: None Moved by Bauge, seconded by Griffith, that Ordinance No. 695 do now pass Voting Aye: Griffith, Bauge, De La Hunt, Horning, Winfrey, Moore. Voting Nay: None Mayor declared Ordinance No. 695 passed. I, J. W. Prather, City Clerk of the City of Ames, Iowa, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing Ordinance No. 695 was duly and properly passed at a meeting of the City Council on the 6th day of November, 1950, and published in the Ames Daily Tribune on the 7-iXday of November, 1950. W. Prather, City Clerk �I