City of Laurie, MO Animal Regulations

Any person having a right of property in a dog or cat, or who keeps or harbors a dog or cat, or who has it in his/her care or acts as its custodian, or who knowingly permits a dog or cat to remain on or about any premises owned or occupied by him/her.

PUBLIC NUISANCE

A dog or cat which:

Molests passersby or chases passing vehicles or bicycles;

Damages private or public property;

Female dogs or cats in heat.

RUNNING AT LARGE

Allowing a dog or cat to be off the private premises of the owner or keeper, or his/her agent or servant, and not on a leash or confined to the arms, motor vehicle, trailer or other conveyance of the owner or keeper, his/her agent or servant.

UNRESTRAINED DOG

Any dog running at large or a dog on the premises of its owner or keeper but not confined to said premises by a leash, fence, structure or other means that would prevent the dog from leaving such premises.

VICIOUS ANIMAL

Any dog or cat that constitutes a physical threat to human beings or other animals.

Section 205.015 Owners to Be Held Liable.

[Ord. No. 558.009 §2, 12-11-1989]

Every owner shall exercise proper care and control of his/her animal to prevent them from becoming a public nuisance. Every female dog or cat in heat shall be confined in such a manner that they cannot come into contact with another animal except planned breeding. Every vicious animal, as determined by the Chief of Police, shall be confined by the owner and shall be securely muzzled or caged whenever off the premises of its owner. Any owner who allows his/her dog or cat to become a nuisance shall be deemed guilty of an ordinance violation.

Section 205.020 Running at Large Prohibited.

[Ord. No. 558.009 §3, 12-11-1989]

It shall be unlawful for any person or persons owning, controlling, keeping, possessing or having the management or care, in whole or in part of any dog or cat, to permit such dog or cat to run at large or go off the premises of the owner or the keeper thereof, or to be upon any street, or other public place within the corporate limits of the City of Laurie at any time, day or night, unless such dog or cat is in the custody and control of some responsible person.

Section 205.030 Barking or Howling Dogs.

[Ord. No. 558.009 §7, 12-11-1989]

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep or harbor any dog which by loud, continual or frequent barking or howling disturbs the neighborhood or any person, or which habitually barks, threatens or chases pedestrians or vehicles.

Section 205.040 Animal Neglect or Abandonment.

A person is guilty of animal neglect when he/she has custody or ownership or both of an animal and fails to provide adequate care or adequate control which results in substantial harm to the animal.

A person is guilty of animal abandonment when he/she has knowingly abandoned an animal in any place without making provisions for its adequate care.

Animal neglect or animal abandonment are ordinance violations. For a first (1st) offense of either violation, a term of imprisonment not to exceed fifteen (15) days or a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) or both such fine and imprisonment may be imposed. For a second (2nd) or subsequent violation of either offense, a term of imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days or a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) or both such fine and imprisonment may be imposed. All fines and penalties for a first (1st) conviction of animal neglect or animal abandonment may be waived by the court provided that the person found guilty of animal neglect or abandonment shows that adequate, permanent remedies for the neglect or abandonment have been made. Reasonable costs incurred for the care and maintenance of neglected or abandoned animals may not be waived.

In addition to any other penalty imposed by this Section, the court may order a person found guilty of animal neglect or animal abandonment to pay all reasonable costs and expenses necessary for:

The care and maintenance of neglected or abandoned animals within the person's custody or ownership;

The disposal of any dead or diseased animals within the person's custody or ownership;

The reduction of resulting organic debris affecting the immediate area of the neglect or abandonment; and

The avoidance or minimization of any public health risks created by the neglect or abandonment of the animals.

Section 205.050 Animal Abuse. [1]

A person is guilty of animal abuse when a person:

Intentionally or purposely kills an animal in any manner not allowed by or expressly exempted from the provisions of Sections 578.005 to 578.023 and 273.030, RSMo.;

Purposely or intentionally causes injury or suffering to an animal; or

Having ownership or custody of an animal knowingly fails to provide adequate care or adequate control.

[1]

Note — Under certain circumstances this offense can be a felony under state law.

Section 205.060 Quarantine Order to Be Issued by Mayor — to Be Published and Posted.

Whenever rabies becomes prevalent in the City, the Mayor shall, according to the necessity of the case, issue a quarantine order requiring every owner or person in charge of any dog or dogs within the limits of the City to either kill or impound his/her dog or dogs or to have such dog or dogs immunized. Said order shall be published once in the paper officially publishing the business of the City; and in the absence of such paper, shall be posted as in case of sales of personal property. The Mayor is authorized by proclamation to terminate any such quarantine whenever, in his/her judgment, the necessity for it no longer exists.

Section 205.070 Regulating the Keeping and Exhibition of Wild Animals.

[Ord. No. 2000-12 §§1 — 4, 8-14-2000; Ord. No. 2001-03 §1, 2-12-2001]

No person may keep, harbor nor publicly exhibit any wild animals as hereinafter defined within the limits of the City of Laurie without complying with the terms of this Section and without obtaining a permit therefor as hereinafter provided. For the purpose of this Section, a "wild animal" is defined as any carnivorous animal or venomous reptile or alligator or crocodile not to include domestic dogs, cats and domestic farm animals or poultry.

Any person keeping a wild animal within the City limits in accordance with this Section shall keep said wild animal confined in an enclosure sufficient to contain said animal at all times. No person shall allow said wild animal to come into physical contact with any person other than the keeper of said animal operating under a permit issued hereunder.

Any person keeping or harboring any such wild animal within the limits of the City of Laurie shall first obtain a permit therefor from the City Clerk of the City, which permit shall be issued upon payment of an annual permit fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00). No permit for the keeping of a wild animal shall be issued unless the person keeping or harboring said wild animal shall first provide documentary evidence of his/her holding all required State and Federal permits and of the existence of public liability insurance, said insurance to cover any liability of the keeper and/or the issuer of the permit with limits of not less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) per any one (1) person injured as a result of the escape or injury by any said wild animal.

Any person keeping or harboring a wild animal within the City limits without a permit or failing to keep said wild animal in enclosures or not in accordance with the terms of Subsection (B) hereof shall be deemed guilty of a violation of this Section and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation thereof shall continue shall be considered a separate offense of violation.

Section 205.080 Management of Cat Population; Permitted Acts.

[Ord. No. 2015-11 §A, 12-8-2015]

Definitions. For purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

COMMUNITY CAT

A cat that is abandoned, stray, lost or feral and cared for by a community cat caregiver pursuant to this Section.

COMMUNITY CAT CAREGIVER

A person who, in accordance with and pursuant to a policy of Trap-Neuter-Return, provides care, including food, shelter or medical care to a community cat, while not being considered the owner, harborer, controller, or keeper of a community cat.

EARTIPPING

The removal of the one-fourth (1/4) inch tip of a community cat's left ear, performed while the cat is under anesthesia, in compliance with any applicable Federal or State law, and under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, designed to identify the community cat as being sterilized and lawfully vaccinated for rabies.

TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN/TNR

The process of humanely trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating for rabies, eartipping, and returning community cats to their original location.

Permitted Acts. The following actions shall be permitted in the City in pursuance of a process of Trap-Neuter-Return:

Trapping, for the sole purpose of sterilizing, vaccinating for rabies and eartipping community cats, in compliance with any applicable Federal or State law, and under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, where applicable.

An eartipped cat received by local shelters will be returned to the location where trapped unless veterinary care is required. A trapped eartipped cat will be released on site unless veterinary care is required.

Community cat caregivers are empowered to reclaim impounded community cats without proof of ownership solely for the purpose of the implementation of the process of Trap-Neuter-Return as more particularly provided in this Section.

A community cat caregiver who returns a feral, or community cat in conjunction with TNR is not deemed to have abandoned the community cat.