[Adopted 11-5-1990 as §§ 12.05 and 12.10
of the 1990 Code; amended in its entirety 4-3-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-2]
The provisions of Ch. 174, Wis. Stats., exclusive
of any penalties, are adopted by reference and made a part of this
article as far as applicable.
A.
No person residing in the Village longer than 30 days
shall own, keep, harbor, or have custody or possession of any dog
or cat which is more than five months of age, unless a license has
been obtained for the dog or cat in accordance with this section.
B.
A license shall be obtained for each dog or cat prior
to the date on which it becomes five months of age, which license
shall remain in effect until December 31 of the year in which it is
obtained. The license shall be renewed on an annual basis thereafter,
within 30 days of January 1 of each succeeding calendar year. As used
in the section, the terms "license" and "license tag" are equivalent
and are used interchangeably.
C.
Upon application for a license with the Village Clerk-Treasurer,
a person shall provide the name and address of the applicant and a
description of the animal. A certificate, issued by a licensed veterinarian,
stating that the animal has been currently inoculated for rabies and
distemper shall be presented and a copy attached to the application,
and the appropriate fee shall be paid to the Village Clerk-Treasurer
upon submission. Any applicant for a license asserting that a dog
or cat has been neutered or spayed must present evidence to the satisfaction
of the Village Clerk-Treasurer if so asked.
D.
Every person residing in the Village who owns, keeps,
harbors or has custody or possession of any dog required to be licensed
in accordance with this section shall insure that the dog, when away
from the person's premises, is wearing a collar to which a current
license tag and a current rabies vaccination tag are attached.
E.
This section shall apply to dogs specially trained
to lead blind or deaf persons or to provide support for mobility-impaired
persons, provided that no fee shall be charged for a license for such
a dog.
A.
The license fee shall be as set by the Village Board
or 1/2 such fee if the dog or cat becomes five months of age after
July 1 of the license year.
B.
The Village Clerk-Treasurer shall collect a late fee
as set by the Village Board if the owner fails to obtain a license
by March 1 or within 30 days after the dog or cat becomes five months
of age or within 30 days after acquiring a licensable dog or cat.
A.
Dogs and unlicensed cats are not permitted to be at
large within the Village at any time. A dog or unlicensed cat is considered
to be at large if it is off the premises of the owner or keeper and
not under the owner's or keeper's control by means of a leash, animal
transport cage or other similar device or confined within a vehicle
owned or controlled by the owner or keeper.
B.
The owner or keeper of any dog tied outdoors by means
of a leash, chain or similar device shall prevent the animal from
being off the premises of the owner or keeper.
No person shall harbor an animal which:
A.
Habitually pursues any vehicle upon any public street,
alley or highway;
B.
Has bitten any person, attacked or shown vicious propensities
that may endanger a person;
C.
Habitually snaps, growls, snarls, jumps upon or otherwise
threatens persons lawfully using any common thoroughfare, sidewalk,
passageway, bypath, play area, park or any place where people congregate
or walk;
D.
Habitually or frequently barks, yelps, howls or makes
other noise which would reasonably disturb or annoy an ordinary person;
or
E.
While away from the owner's or keeper's premises causes
property damage or injury to any licensed dog or cat, domestic animal,
or other desirable wildlife.
A.
The Village police or any person appointed by the
Village Board may apprehend any dog or unlicensed cat which is at
large within the Village.
B.
The appointed keeper of a shelter or pound shall confine
all stray dogs apprehended for seven days unless sooner claimed by
the owner or keeper. Any animal not reclaimed by the rightful owner
after notice within such time shall become the property of the shelter
or pound by abandonment.
No person occupying less than one acre of land
shall keep or harbor more than two dogs and two cats in any family
dwelling unit, place of residence or business within the Village,
and the keeping or harboring of more than two dogs and two cats is
declared to be a nuisance. This section shall not apply to the keeping
of female dogs and their pups when such pups are less than eight weeks
of age or female cats and their kittens when such kittens are less
than eight weeks of age.
No person owning or responsible for confining
or impounding any animal may fail to supply the animal with a sufficient
supply of food and potable water.
No person owning or responsible for confining
or impounding any animal may fail to provide the animal with proper
shelter from sunlight and inclement weather.
A.
Removal of fecal matter. The owner or person in charge
of any dog, cat, horse, or other animal shall not permit solid fecal
matter of such animal to deposit on any street, alley, or other public
or private property unless such matter is immediately removed by the
owner or person in charge. This section shall not apply to a person
who is visually or physically handicapped.
B.
Accumulation of fecal matter. The owner or person
in charge of an animal must also prevent accumulation of animal waste
on his own property by the regular removal and disposal of such waste,
so as not to attract rodents or insects, become unsightly, cause objectionable
odors, or result in any other condition recognized as a nuisance by
this Code or Wisconsin statute.
No person shall permit any animal, whether licensed
or not, to enter any public waters of a marked beach within the Village.
The Village adopts § 95.21, Wis. Stats.,
requiring that any dog or cat which bites a person shall be quarantined
for 10 days so that it can be observed for signs of rabies. The Polk
County Health Department shall also be notified and its procedures
followed.
If any animal causes a nuisance, any person
objecting shall be required to provide a written complaint to the
Village police.
Except as otherwise provided, in addition to the revocation, suspension or nonrenewal of any license or permit issued under this article, any person found to be in violation of any provision of this article shall be subject to a penalty as provided in Chapter 1, § 1-4, of this Code. This section shall not preclude the Village from maintaining any appropriate action to prevent or remove a violation of this article.
