[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Maple Bluff
as §§ 9.08, 9.09, 12.02(3) to (12), 12.03 and 12.10 of the
1986 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
No owner or keeper of any dog or cat shall permit the same to run at
large within the Village. A dog or cat shall be deemed to be at large when
it is off the premises of the owner or keeper, unless it is within the immediate
presence of the owner or keeper and under control by means of voice command
or under the control of a person by means of a chain, leash, rope, cord or
like material, such person and means to be sufficient to control the action
of such animal.
B.
Housing. Dogs shall be cared for, maintained, housed
and handled in a sanitary manner and so as to prevent noise, barking, fighting
or howling which would disturb the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Dogs
shall be closely confined during the breeding season.
C.
Animal feces. Any person owning, keeping, possessing or harboring
a dog(s) shall promptly remove and dispose of all feces left by his or her
dog(s) on any public or private property which is not owned or occupied by
such person.
[Added 11-12-1991]
A.
License required. Every person residing in the Village
who owns or keeps a dog or cat which is more than five months of age on January
1 of any year shall annually, at the time and in the manner prescribed by
law for the payment of personal property taxes, obtain a license therefor.
If the dog or cat attains five months of age during the year, the owner shall
obtain a license therefor on or before the date such age is attained.
C.
Late fees. There shall be assessed and collected a late
fee as provided in § 174.05(5), Wis. Stats., from every owner or
keeper of a dog or cat five months of age or over if the owner or keeper fails
to obtain a license prior to April 1 of each year, or within 30 days of acquiring
ownership of a licensable dog or cat or if the owner or keeper failed to obtain
a license on or before the dog or cat reached licensable age.[2]
D.
Issuance of license. Upon receipt of the required fee and receipt of the certificate required by § 82-6, the Clerk-Treasurer shall issue to the owner or keeper a license to keep the dog or cat for the calendar year for which application is made. Such person shall, upon procuring the license, place upon the dog or cat a collar with the tag furnished to him by the Clerk-Treasurer, such collar to be kept on the dog or cat at all times. This requirement does not apply to a show dog or cat during competition, to a dog while hunting, to a dog or cat securely confined indoors or to a dog securely confined in a fenced area.
E.
State regulations. Chapter 174, Wis. Stats., shall apply
so far as applicable.
A.
Application. Application for a license required by this chapter
shall be made to the Clerk-Treasurer on a form furnished by the Village and
shall contain such information as may be required by the provisions of this
chapter or as may be otherwise required by the Village Board.
D.
Term of license. All licenses issued hereunder shall expire on
December 31 in the year of issuance unless issued for a shorter term, when
they shall expire at 12:00 midnight of the last effective day of the license,
or unless otherwise provided by this Code or state law.
E.
Form of license. All licenses issued hereunder shall show the
dates of issue and expiration and the activity licensed and shall be signed
by the Clerk-Treasurer.
F.
Records of licenses. The Clerk-Treasurer shall keep a record
of all licenses issued.
H.
Compliance with ordinances required. It shall be a condition
of holding a license under this chapter that the licensee comply with all
ordinances of the Village. Failure to do so shall be cause for suspension
or revocation of the license.
I.
Transfer of licenses. All licenses issued hereunder shall be
personal to whom issued, and no license shall be transferred without the consent
of the Board.
No person shall own or keep within the Village:
A.
Any dog 10 days after receipt of written notice from
the Police Chief that such dog is a danger to the health and welfare of the
community by reason of attacks made on persons or on other dogs. Each day
which a person keeps a dog in violation of this subsection shall constitute
a separate violation.
B.
Any dog or cat without taking sufficient measures to
assure that the animal is cared for, maintained, housed and handled in a sanitary
manner.
C.
Any dog or cat without taking sufficient measures to
prevent noise, barking, fighting or howling which would unreasonably disturb
the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. The testimony of two or more adult
persons of different households to the effect that the noise, barking, fighting
or howling of a dog or cat identified by them has caused them great annoyance
on repeated frequent occasions shall be prima facie evidence that the person
owning or keeping the animal has failed to take the measures required hereby
and that the result thereof has been the unreasonable disturbance of the peace
and quiet of the neighborhood.
D.
Any dog or cat which is required to be licensed but is
not.
E.
Any dog or cat which is required to be inoculated for
rabies but is not.
F.
Any dog or cat which the Health Officer, any Village
police or Animal Control Officer or any representative of the Dane County
Humane Society believes to be rabid or to have been in contact with a rabid
animal.
The owner or keeper of a dog or cat shall have the dog or cat vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian within 30 days after the animal reaches five months of age and revaccinated within one year after the initial vaccination. If the owner or keeper obtains the dog or cat or brings the dog or cat into Wisconsin after the dog or cat has reached five months of age, the owner shall have the animal vaccinated against rabies within 30 days after it is obtained or brought into Wisconsin unless the animal has been vaccinated as evidenced by a current certificate of rabies vaccination from Wisconsin or another state. The owner or keeper of the dog or cat shall have it revaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian before the date that the immunization expires as stated on the certificate of vaccination or, if no date is specified, within three years after the previous vaccination in the case of dogs and within one year after the previous vaccination in the case of cats. No license shall be issued for any dog or cat required to be inoculated unless the applicant exhibits a certificate of a qualified veterinarian showing that the animal has been inoculated for rabies as required hereby. The owner or keeper shall attach a rabies vaccination tag to the collar required by § 82-3D hereof to be kept on the dog or cat except in those situations where a collar is not required as set forth in § 82-3D.
A.
Confinement. The Village Animal Control Officer shall apprehend any dog or cat running at large within the Village, any dog or cat kept within the Village in violation of § 82-5 and any dog or cat which has bitten any person. The Village police officers shall assist the Village Animal Control Officer when requested to do so. Any dog or cat believed by any Health Officer, any Village police or Animal Control Officer or any representative of the Dane County Humane Society to be rabid or to have been in contact with any rabid animal and any dog or cat which has bitten any person shall be confined for observation in a veterinary hospital in Dane County for a period of 10 days, or the officer may order the animal to be quarantined on the premises of the owner if the animal is immunized currently against rabies as evidenced by a valid certificate of rabies vaccination or other evidence. A Village Animal Control Officer shall deliver the animal to confinement unless the owner or keeper thereof shall promptly do so. No person having possession of a dog or cat which is to be confined for observation shall refuse to deliver the animal to the Village Animal Control Officer upon demand. If any animal referred to herein cannot be captured, the Animal Control Officer, as a last resort or if the owner agrees, may kill the animal, attempting to do so in a humane manner which avoids damage to the animal's head. Any other animals apprehended under this section shall be confined in a suitable place.[1]
B.
Extended isolation. If a dog or cat is suspected to have
been in contact with a rabid animal, the observation period may be extended
unless the owner agrees to have the animal killed. If the dog or cat is not
currently immunized against rabies, the Chief of Police may order the owner
or keeper to keep the animal in strict isolation for an additional 180 days
and the owner shall have the animal vaccinated against rabies between 155
and 165 days after the exposure to a rabid animal. If the dog or cat was immunized
against rabies, the Chief of Police may order the owner to have the animal
revaccinated as soon as possible and to keep the animal leashed or confined
for an additional 60 days. If a veterinarian certifies that the dog or cat
has not exhibited any symptoms of rabies during the extended isolation period,
the animal may be released from isolation at the end of such period.[2]
C.
Disposition of unclaimed dogs and cats. Any dog or cat
which is not claimed by its owner or keeper within seven days after its apprehension
or, if applicable, within 48 hours after expiration of the ten-day observation
period, may either be sold for the amount incurred in apprehending, keeping
or caring for the animal or destroyed in a proper and humane manner.
D.
Rabid dogs and cats. Any dog or cat which is found to
be rabid shall be destroyed in a proper and humane manner in accordance with
the requirements of Ch. 174, Wis. Stats.
E.
Reclaiming; owner or keeper to pay costs and post deposit. The owner or keeper shall be liable to the Village or other animal control agency for all costs and charges incurred in apprehending, keeping and caring for a dog or cat confined pursuant to the provisions of this section. Such costs and charges may include expenses for inoculations or other medical treatment for the animal. The owner or keeper of any dog or cat confined hereunder may reclaim it upon payment of such costs and charges and upon posting of a cash deposit pursuant to the citation issued in respect to a violation of this chapter in accordance with Chapter 10, Citations.[3]
The Village Board shall from time to time designate one or more persons
as full-time or part-time Village Animal Control Officer(s) to be responsible
for the apprehension and confinement of dogs and cats as herein provided and
to be paid such compensation as the Board shall determine by resolution. Village
police officers may be appointed Village Animal Control Officers as the Village
Board may deem appropriate. The Village Animal Control Officer(s) shall report
to and be under the supervision of the Chief of Police. Each police officer
and each Village Animal Control Officer shall be authorized to issue citations
for violation of this chapter.