City of Greendale, MO Dogs and Cats

Any person, association, partnership, or corporation which owns, harbors, shelters, keeps, controls, manages, possesses or has an ownership interest in a dog or cat.

VACCINATION OR REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE

The St. Louis County registration certificate or a registration certificate from a licensed practicing veterinarian.

Vaccination Required For Dogs Or Cats.

The person responsible for any dog or cat in the City of Greendale is hereby required to have such animal vaccinated against rabies and to procure a certificate of such vaccination from St. Louis County or from a licensed practicing veterinarian and present such certificate to the City Clerk on or before May 1 of each year, and the City Clerk shall register such certificate, which registration shall remain in force until April 30 next following said registration.

Upon registration, the City Clerk shall issue a tag evidencing the registration and certificate of vaccination, and the owner or keeper shall securely attach the tag so issued to a collar to be worn continuously by the animal for which the tag was issued. It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any dog or cat to permit such animal to remain in the City of Greendale unless wearing the tag above provided for herein.

The vaccination and registration required herein shall be made before the said dog or cat reaches four (4) months of age but not earlier than three (3) months of age.

No dog or cat shall be exempted from this Section due to advanced age.

A copy of the vaccination registration from either St. Louis County or a licensed practicing veterinarian must be maintained by the person responsible for the dog or cat and shall be available for inspection by the City Inspector or any Police Officer upon request.

License Tax Required For Dog And Cat.

An annual dog and cat license tax is levied upon every resident person who is responsible for a dog or cat within the City of Greendale for any period of time during a calendar year in the amount of five dollars ($5.00) per dog or cat.

No license shall be issued until a valid St. Louis County or a licensed practicing veterinarian registration certificate is obtained. Upon presentation of such document and upon payment of the license fees established in this Section, the person responsible for the animal shall be issued a City of Greendale license tag.

In the event the City of Greendale license tag is lost, a replacement tag may be obtained from the City Clerk upon payment of a fee in the amount of five dollars ($5.00) per dog or cat.

License tags shall not be transferred from one animal to another. No person shall affix a license tag to a dog or cat that has not been vaccinated against rabies. No person shall counterfeit, alter or obliterate any license tag.

No person shall remove or cause to be removed the collar, harness or the license tag from any registered dog or cat without the consent of the person responsible for the dog or cat.

Seeing Eye dogs, when used by a blind person, or dogs used to assist a hearing impaired person or handicapped person shall receive a license without charge upon presentation of a valid St. Louis County or a licensed practicing veterinarian registration certificate.

Impoundment Or Confinement. The City Inspector and Police Officers shall have the authority to cause and direct the impoundment or confinement of dogs, cats and other animals in cases involving rabies, quarantine, biting of a human, cruelty to animals and abandonment in accordance with Chapter 611 of St. Louis County Department of Health's Animal Control Code under Subsections pertaining to the above-listed cases.

Section 205.030 Dogs Running At Large.

[Ord. No. 359 §§1 — 2, 12-15-1992]

It shall be unlawful for any person or persons owning, controlling, possessing or having the management or care, in whole or in part, of any dog within the City of Greendale to permit such dog to run at large or go off the premises of the owner or keeper thereof unless such dog is securely tied to and led by a leash or line in the hands of a person capable of restraining the same so that such dog may be prevented by the owner or keeper thereof from biting, attacking or molesting any person or from destroying or injuring any property of another person or creating any nuisance whatsoever. As used in this Section, "at large" shall mean off the premises of the owner and not under control by the owner or keeper either by a leash or line.

Section 205.040 Duty To Impound.

It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police, the City Police, and any other person of the City of Greendale, especially designated by the Board of Alderpersons and the Mayor for such purpose, to take up any dog or cat without the tag provided in Section 205.020, any dog or cat running at large, or any vicious dog in violation of Section 205.030 above and to impound the same. In effecting the capture of any dog or cat, the officers aforesaid are authorized and directed to use traps, nets, tranquilizer guns or any other humane method.

Section 205.050 Responsibility of Parent or Guardian of Minor Owning.

The parent or guardian of a minor child is responsible for the adequate care of any animal owned by, in the control of, or harbored by that minor child.

Section 205.060 Notice of Impoundment.

Every officer impounding a dog or cat under this Chapter shall, within twenty-four (24) hours after such impounding, enter upon a registry open to the public, and in plain public view at the City Hall of the City, a description of such dog or cat, including breed, color and approximate size, and the date apprehended, and if the owner or keeper is known, the name and address of such owner or keeper; or the owner or keeper shall be given actual notice of the impoundment of such dog or cat before disposition of such dog or cat.

Section 205.070 Reimbursement of Costs.

The owner or keeper of any dog or cat impounded under this Chapter shall pay to the Chief of Police, Police Officer, or other official especially designated to receive the same a sum sufficient to reimburse the City for its costs in impounding such dog or cat and keeping it impounded.

Section 205.080 Term of Impoundment.

It shall be the duty of any officer impounding any dog or cat under this Chapter to keep the same impounded for a period of seven (7) days, unless such dog or cat shall be reclaimed by his/her owner or keeper under Section 205.070 of this Chapter. If, after the expiration of seven (7) days from the date of such impoundment, such dog or cat shall not have been reclaimed, the same shall be disposed of or destroyed in a humane manner.

Section 205.090 Maximum Number of Dogs Allowed in One Residence.

[Ord. No. 268 §1, 4-19-1983]

It shall be unlawful for any person at any time to keep, board or house in or on his/her premises within the City of Greendale, Missouri, more than four (4) dogs or four (4) cats or any combination thereof not to exceed four (4) total. Provided however, upon the birth of a litter of dogs, it shall be permissible under this Section that such litter may be kept together with their mother until they reach the age of four (4) months. Provided further, the City of Greendale can prove a prima facie case against the owner or inhabitant of a residence by showing that the number of dogs in any one (1) house or on anyone's premises exceeds the number of two (2). The burden of proof as to the ages of said dogs shall shift to the person charged with violating this Section.

Section 205.100 Wild Animals.

No person shall keep or permit to stay upon his/her property any wild animal.

Section 205.110 Dangerous Dogs and Animals.

[Ord. No. 331 §§1 — 3, 6-19-1990]

Confinement. A dangerous animal is "unconfined" if the animal is not securely confined indoors or confined in a securely enclosed and locked pen or structure upon the premises of the person responsible for the animal. The pen or structure must have secure sides and must be of such height, strength and construction so as to prevent the animal from jumping or climbing over, crawling through or under the pen or structure. The sides of said pen or structure shall be built so that no part of said animal may extend through to the outside of the pen or structure and so that no part of the human body may extend through to the inside of the pen or structure. If the pen or structure has no bottom secured to the sides, the sides must be embedded into the ground no less than two (2) feet. All such pens or structures must be adequately lighted and kept in a clean and sanitary condition.

Confinement Required. The person responsible for a dangerous animal shall not permit the animal to go unconfined as defined in this Section, except as permitted in Subsection (B)(3).

Muzzle Animal. The person responsible for a dangerous animal shall not permit the animal to be unconfined unless the animal is securely muzzled and under restraint as defined in this Section. The muzzle shall be made in a manner that will not cause injury to the animal or interfere with its vision or breathing but it shall prevent the animal from biting any human or other animal.

Signs. The person responsible for a dangerous animal shall display "dangerous animal" symbols and warning signs on his/her property visible from the street and on all sides of the pen or structure confining said animal. Said signs shall state "Beware — Dangerous Animal on Property" or similar phrase. The lettering on the sign shall be at least two (2) inches high.

Animal Fighting. No person shall train, use or possess any animal for the purpose of animal fighting.

Insurance. Owners of dangerous animals must, within sixty (60) days of the effective date of the Section and thereafter on an annual basis, provide proof to the City Clerk that he/she has liability insurance in the minimum amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) insuring the person responsible for any personal injuries inflicted by his/her dangerous animals.

Exemption. No animal may be declared dangerous if the threat, injury or damage was sustained by a person who at the time was committing or attempting to commit a crime.

Section 205.120 Dogs and Animals Creating A Nuisance — When. [1]

[Ord. No. 361 §2, 12-15-1992]

Every person responsible for an animal shall keep it from being a nuisance. An animal creates a nuisance if it does any of the following:

Soils, defiles or defecates on property other than property of the person responsible for the animal unless such waste is removed by a person responsible and deposited in a waste container.

Damages public property or property belonging to a person other than a person responsible for the animal.

Is maintained in a manner that is dangerous to the public health, safety or welfare of the community or to the animal, e.g., neglected, abused or mistreated.

Causes a disturbance by excessive barking, howling, meowing or other noisemaking.

Chases vehicles including bicycles.

Without reasonable provocation attacks, stalks or bites persons or other animals.

Impedes refuse collection, mail delivery, meter reading or other public service activities.

Turns over, rummages through or damages a refuse container.

Molests or threatens persons on property not belonging to a person responsible for the animal.

[1]

Cross Reference — As to nuisances in general, see ch. 215.

Section 205.130 Permitting Animals To Defecate Upon Certain Properties Prohibited.

[Ord. No. 324 §1, 11-19-1989]

It shall be unlawful for any person owning, controlling, possessing or having the management or care of any animal, whether licensed or not, to allow or permit such animal to defecate upon any private property owned by another or public property unless such person shall immediately remove the feces deposited by such animal.