§ 14-16. Abuse or neglect of animals.

(a)

Adequate care. No owner, keeper or harborer of an animal shall fail to provide the animal with adequate care, adequate food, adequate water, adequate health care and adequate shelter. Such shelter shall be clean, dry, shaded and compatible with the condition, age and species. An animal must also have the opportunity for adequate daily exercise as determined by the supervisor of animal health and public safety. This requires that an owner, keeper or harborer must offer some freedom from continuous chaining, stabling and tethering. Any restraint placed on an animal must be such that it prevents the animal from being tangled or injured by the restraint. Grooming of animals is also required so that they are free from dangerous matting which can affect their health. The area where animals are kept must also be kept free from unsanitary conditions, vermin-harboring debris, junk or any other dangerous protuberances which can provide an opportunity for injury or a danger to the animal's health.

(b)

Abuse. No person shall beat, cruelly ill-treat, torment, tease, overload, overwork or otherwise abuse an animal.

(c)

Inspection of adequate care or abuse. Any owner, keeper or harborer of an animal in this city, by the act of owning, keeping or harboring such animal, does thereby authorize the supervisor of animal health and public safety to enter the yard where such animal is kept if the supervisor of animal health and public safety reasonably believes that the animal is kept in an unlawful, negligent, cruel, abusive or inhumane manner, and to examine such animal and to seize and impound such animal at the municipal animal shelter when, in the examiner's opinion, it is being kept in an unlawful, negligent, cruel, abusive or inhumane manner. If an animal health and public safety officer cannot view and observe the animal in plain sight, the owner, keeper or harborer, upon request, must exhibit for inspection any and all animals which are not in plain sight but are on or inside the premises.

(Code of Gen. Ords. 1967, § 6.14; Ord. No. 48707, 6-22-78; Ord. No. 65201, 3-1-90; Ord. No. 951372, § 1, 11-9-95; Ord. No. 060086, § 1, 2-2-06; Ord. No. 130506, § 1, 7-18-13 )