§ 14-42. Same—Dog, cat and ferret bites resulting in human exposure to rabies.

It shall be the duty of every owner or keeper of any dog, cat or ferret, upon receiving notice or having knowledge of the involvement of his or her pet in a human exposure to the possibility of rabies or other zoonotic disease by biting (referred to in this section as an "incident"), to immediately place such animal in a duly licensed veterinary medical facility, the address of which must be furnished to the supervisor of animal health and public safety at once, or in the municipal animal shelter, where such animal shall be isolated and confined for observation for ten consecutive days from and including the day of the incident. It shall be unlawful for the owner, keeper or person harboring the animal involved in such incident to release it from his custody or to hide or conceal such animal or to take or allow such animal to be taken beyond the limits of the city, unless so authorized by the director of health, until the period of confinement and observation required in this section is completed. The owner or keeper of such a animal involved in an incident shall be liable for the cost of confinement and observation. The death or any suspicious change in the health or behavior of any such dog, cat or ferret undergoing observation shall be reported as soon as possible by the observing authority to the director of health or his designate. The director of health or his designate is hereby authorized to authorize confinement other than described in this section as he finds medically appropriate, providing such animal will be controlled and observed in accordance with the owner's signed agreement, but only if such dog, cat or ferret has a current vaccination for rabies and is duly licensed as provided by this chapter. Unless determined otherwise by the director of health, exceptions to such confinement requirement may be granted by the supervisor of animal health and public safety in the following cases:

(1)

Where a female dog, cat or ferret is nursing their unweaned off-spring.

(2)

If the investigating officers determines that:

a.

The incident occurred while the animal involved was confined and legally kept upon the property of the owner;

b.

The person injured was upon the property without the express or implied consent of the owner and was not there performing functions of a job; or

c.

Other circumstances exist which in the judgment of the supervisor create an exceptional situation.

However, if the person injured in an incident, or his parent or guardian in the case of a minor, desires that the animal be impounded, even though an exception to impoundment has been granted as provided in this section, and agrees in writing to pay for its board during the period of confinement, it shall be impounded in the manner and for the period specified in this section, unless determined otherwise by the director of health upon review of the facts and circumstances of the incident.

(Code of Gen. Ords. 1967, § 6.39; Ord. No. 48707, 6-22-78; Ord. No. 53297, 10-22-81; Ord. No. 65201, 3-1-90; Ord. No. 010616, § 1, 5-10-01; Ord. No. 060086, § 1, 2-2-06)