§ 7-55. Liability of owner for dogs at-large.

(a)

In addition to the fees and charges to be paid to the animal shelter for the release of any impounded dog any owner who has permitted his licensed or unlicensed dog to roam at-large may be found guilty of a violation of this article and shall be subject to a penalty as set forth in section 7-30.

(b)

For the first offense, an owner shall have the option to pay either the fees and charges set forth in section 7-30 or the cost to have the animal spayed or neutered by the animal shelter or a low cost spay/neuter clinic prior to releasing an intact, unaltered dog found to be at-large.

(c)

For the second offense (found to be at-large twice in their lifetime) any intact, unaltered dog shall be spayed or neutered at the owner's cost prior to its release from impoundment, unless:

(1)

The health of the dog as determined by a licensed veterinarian, prohibits its spaying or neutering (hereinafter "alteration"); or

(2)

The owner provides proof from a veterinarian that the dog has been altered; or

(3)

The dog is less than four (4) months of age; or

(4)

The owner provides valid ownership papers verifying the purebred status of the dog and the owner pays a subsequent impoundment fee as established in section 7-30(b) in order to avoid alteration of the purebred dog. In the event the owner elects to have the animal spayed/neutered prior to its release the cost of these services shall be deducted from the impoundment fee.

(Code 1961, § 4-21(g); Ord. No. 23784, § 4, 3-24-10; Ord. No. 25567 , § 1, 4-25-18)

Editor's note

Ord. No. 25567 , § 1, adopted April 25, 2018, amended § 7-55 and in so doing changed the title of said section from "Liability of owner for dogs and/or cats at-large" to "Liability of owner for dogs at-large," as set out herein.