[Ord. of 12-10-2001]
A pound or pounds for dogs and cats shall be established and
maintained in the City in accordance with regulations issued by the
board and shall be accessible to the public at reasonable hours during
the week.
[Ord. of 12-10-2001; amended by Ord. No.
2005-4, 2-28-2005; 2-22-2010]
(a) It shall be unlawful for the owner of a dog or cat to permit such
animal to run at large within the City.
(b) It shall be the duty of the animal control officer or other officer
who may find any dog or cat that is running at large to forthwith
take such animal into custody and impound the same in the City pound
for a period not less than five business days, such period to commence
on the day immediately following the day the animal is initially confined
in the facility, unless sooner claimed by the rightful owner.
(c) All drugs and drug administering equipment used by animal control
officers or other officers to capture dogs or cats pursuant to this
article shall have been approved by the State Veterinarian.
(d) The animal control officer or other person operating the City pound
shall make a reasonable effort to ascertain whether the animal has
a collar, tag, tattoo or other form of identification. If such identification
is found on the animal, the animal shall be held for an additional
five business days, unless sooner claimed by the rightful owner. If
the rightful owner of the animal can be readily identified, the animal
control officer or other person operating the City pound shall make
a reasonable effort to notify the owner of the animal's confinement
within the next 48 hours following its confinement.
(e) The owner may, upon proof of ownership and upon payment to the Treasurer
of the sum of $10 for the first 24 hours or portion thereof and the
sum of $5 for each succeeding day or fraction thereof, obtain release
of the animal from the pound. If, at the conclusion of either waiting
period set forth above, such animal shall not have been claimed, it
shall be deemed abandoned and shall become property of the City.
(f) If such abandoned animal did not, when delivered to the pound, bear
a collar, tag, license, tattoo, or other form of identification, it
may be humanely destroyed or disposed of by:
(1) Sale or gift to a federal agency, state-supported institution, agency
of the commonwealth, agency of another state, or a licensed federal
dealer having its principal place of business located within the commonwealth,
provided that such agency, institution or dealer agrees to confine
the animal for an additional period of not less than five days;
(2) Delivery to any humane society or animal shelter within the commonwealth;
(3) Adoption by any person who will pay the required license fee, if
any, on such animal, a $10 adoption fee and agree, if the animal is
not already sterilized, to have the animal sterilized by a licensed
veterinarian (i) within 30 days of the adoption or (ii) within 30
days after the animal reaches six months of age, if the animal is
not sexually mature at the time of adoption. Upon proof of sterilization
within either such time period, the person adopting the animal shall
be entitled to a refund of the adoption fee; or
(4) Delivery, for the purposes of adoption or euthanasia only, to a humane
society or an animal shelter located in and lawfully operating under
the laws of another state, provided that such humane society or animal
shelter (i) maintains records which would comply with Virginia Code,
§ 3.1-796.105; (ii) requires that adopted dogs and cats
be sterilized; and (iii) has been approved by the State Veterinarian
or his designee as a facility which maintains such records, requires
adopted dogs and cats to be sterilized, and provides adequate care
and euthanasia.
(5) No animal shall be given to a person or institution for the purposes
of research or experiment.
(g) If such abandoned animal, when delivered to the pound, bore a collar, tag, license, tattoo, or other form of identification, it may be humanely destroyed or disposed of by the methods described in Subdivision (2) or (3) of Subsection
(f) hereinabove.
(h) The City pound shall not deliver more than two animals or a family of animals during any thirty-day period to any one person under Subdivision (3) of Subsection
(f) hereinabove.
(i) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the immediate destruction
of a critically injured, critically ill, or unweaned animal for humane
purposes. Any animal destroyed pursuant to the provisions of this
article shall be euthanized by one of the methods prescribed or approved
by the State Veterinarian and shall be cremated, buried, or otherwise
sanitarily disposed of.
(j) Nothing in this section shall prohibit any feral dog or feral cat
not bearing a collar, tag, tattoo, or other form of identification
which, based on the written certification of a disinterested person,
exhibits behavior that poses a risk of physical injury to any person
confining the animal, from being euthanized after being kept for a
period of not less than three days, at least one of which shall be
a full business day, such period to commence on the day the animal
is initially confined in the facility, unless sooner claimed by the
rightful owner. The certification of the disinterested person shall
be kept with the animal as required by Virginia Code, § 3.1-796.105.
For purposes of this subsection, a disinterested person shall not
include a person releasing or reporting the animal to the facility.
(k) For purposes of this section:
ANIMAL
Shall not include agricultural animals.
HUMANE SOCIETY
When referring to an organization without the commonwealth,
shall mean any nonprofit organization organized for the purpose of
preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care and treatment
or adoption of animals.