§ 7-155. Prohibited generally.

(a)

Purpose. To provide for and promote the health, safety and welfare of the general public and to provide for responsible and humane ownership of animals by establishing and enforcing regulations for the keeping and control of animals.

(b)

Every owner or keeper of animals shall exercise proper care and control of animals. For the purposes of this chapter, the following words, terms and phrases shall have the following meaning:

(1)

Dangerous animal means any animal which according to the records of the parish animal shelter or other appropriate law enforcement authority has:

(i)

when unprovoked, bites, injures or assaults any lawful invitee on the property of the owner, or a human being or a domestic animal on public or private property; or

(ii)

which has a known propensity or predisposition to cause injury when unprovoked; or

(iii)

which has undergone quarantine for rabies observation two (2) or more times within a two-year period.

(2)

Vicious animal means any animal which according to the records of the parish animal shelter or other appropriate law enforcement authority:

(i)

without provocation inflicted severe injury on a human being on public or private property; or

(ii)

severely injured or killed a domestic animal without provocation; or

(iii)

previously been found to be a "dangerous animal," and the animal again bites, or attacks a human being or bites, attacks, or kills a domestic animal without provocation.

a.

Owner can also be found guilty of a misdemeanor. In addition, the dangerous animal shall be immediately confiscated by the Jefferson Parish animal shelter, placed in quarantine, if necessary, for the proper length of time, or impounded and held pending the outcome of a hearing before any trier of fact. The owner shall be responsible for payment of all housing costs and other fees as may be required to humanely and safely keep the animal during any hearing process regardless of final disposition of the animal.

(iv)

without provocation caused the death of a human being. In such case, the animal shall be seized by the Jefferson Parish animal shelter and euthanized pursuant to emergency provisions in section 7-132; or

(v)

is owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of animal fighting or any animal trained for animal fighting; or

(vi)

bites or injures another domestic animal while off the property of the owner more than two (2) times in twenty-four (24) consecutive months.

(vii)

If an animal that has previously been declared vicious attacks and causes severe injury to or death of any human without provocation, the owner is guilty of a felony. In such case, the animal shall be immediately confiscated by the Jefferson Parish animal shelter, placed in quarantine, if appropriate, for the appropriate length of time or held pending a hearing before any trier of fact. The owner shall be responsible for payment of all housing costs and other fees as may be required to humanely and safely keep the animal during any hearing process regardless of final disposition of the animal.

a.

Any animal that kills a human shall be humanely destroyed without opportunity for hearing.

(c)

For purposes of this section, civil and/or criminal proceedings may be instituted before a trier of fact and penalties accessed pursuant to this code of ordinances or state provisions or any other legal remedy.

(d)

Victims must submit to the animal shelter evidence of a bite to include either a photograph of the bite and an affidavit of the incident, a doctor's report or law enforcement officer's report.

(Ord. No. 24117, § 2, 9-21-11)