Section 5-3 Disposition of animals biting or attacking persons.
Prior to the adoption of Ord. 18576 on 07/05/2005, Section 5-3 read as follows.
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (c) and
(d), aAny dog, except a trained dog
maintained and utilized by the Columbia Police Department as a police dog, or cat which bites,
injures or attacks any person shall be immediately taken up and impounded for a period
of ten
(10) days. The animal shall be so impounded in Boone County, Missouri by the animal's
owner
with a veterinarian of the owner's choice or with a veterinarian in another location approved by
the health officer director of public health or the director’s designee.
It shall be unlawful for the
animal's owner to refuse to so impound the animal. If the animal's owner does not impound the
animal, the animal control officer is authorized to impound the animal in the city pound. If,
within such the period of ten (10) days, such the animal
does not develop or manifest
hydrophobia or rabies, it may be redeemed by the owner upon the payment of a the
boarding fee
and impoundment fee provided for in section 5-5 of five dollars ($5.00) per day if
the animal is
in the custody of the city, or the payment of usual and customary fees if the animal has been in
the custody of a veterinarian of the owner's choice. If such the animal is not
redeemed at the end
of such the ten-day period, it shall be humanely disposed of, as is provided
for in this chapter. If
such the animal does develops signs of rabies, it
shall be the duty of the animal control officer to
cause such shall have the animal
to be examined by a licensed veterinarian. Any other warm-blooded animal which bites,
injures
or attacks any person may, upon the order of the municipal judge, be impounded and humanely
euthanized, and the brain and/or other structures submitted for rabies diagnosis.
(b) Any trained dog maintained and utilized by the Columbia
Police Department as a police
dog which has been vaccinated against rabies as required by this Code and which while under the
control or direction of the Columbia police bites or attacks any person shall be examined,
impounded or tested as the City of Columbia Health Ddirector of public health deems
appropriate.
(c) Any trained dog maintained and utilized
by the Columbia Police Department as a police
dog without the vaccination against rabies required by this Code which bites or attacks or injures
any person, or which bites, attacks or injures a person when not under the control or direction of
the Columbia police shall be impounded as set out in (a) above. If any dog or cat that has
been
vaccinated against rabies as required by this chapter bites a veterinarian while the veterinarian is
examining or treating the animal, the animal shall be examined, impounded and tested only to the
extent the veterinarian deems appropriate.
(d) In lieu of the impoundment requirements of subsection
(a), a dog or cat that bites, injures,
or attacks any person may, at the discretion of an animal control officer, be impounded at its
owner’s place of residence, if all of the following requirements are met:
(1) The animal has been vaccinated against rabies,
as required by this chapter;
(2) The animal was properly licensed by the city at
the time of the incident;
(3) Neither the animal nor any other animal kept at
the owner’s residence has a history of
running at large;
(4) The animal does not have a history of causing
injury to any person or animal;
(5) The animal’s owner authorizes animal control
officers to monitor the animal’s condition
for ten days; and
(6) The animal’s owner agrees to have the animal
examined by a veterinarian on the tenth
day of impoundment.
(7) No
one is being charged with a violation of Sec. 5-57 involving the animal to be
impounded.
(Code 1964, § 5.140; Ord. No. 11910, § 1, 6-6-88; Ord. No. 13168, § 1, 11-18-91; Ord.
No.
14512, § 1, 6-5-95)
Cross reference(s)--Vicious dogs generally, § 5-57.