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Ord 45 Regulating Dogsf f ORDINANCE NO. 45 VILLAGE OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AN ORDINANCE REGULATING DOGS, PROVIDING FOR THE LICENSING AND IMPOUNDING OF DOGS AND PRE - SCRIBING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF. The Village Council of the Village of Mendota Heights ordains as follows: Section 1. Definitions. As used in this ordinance, the following terms shall mean: A. Owner: Any person, group of persons or corporation owning, keeping, or harboring a dog or dogs. The "harborer" of a dog shall mean any person who has the custody of any dog or permits the same to be kept or to stay on or about his premises. B. Kennel: Any person, group of persons or corporation engaged in the commercial business of breeding, buying, selling or boarding dogs. C. At Large: A dog shall be termed to be at large when it is not under restraint as defined in this ordinance. D. Restraint: A dog is under restraint, within the meaning of this ordinance, if it is controlled by a leash not exceeding six feet in length or by a com- petent person and immediately obedient to that per- son's command, or if it is within a vehicle being driven or parked on the public streets, or if it is within the property limits of its ownerts premises. E. Animal Shelter: Any premises designated by action of the Village Council for the purposes of impounding and caring for all animals found in violation of this ordinance. F. Animal Warden: The person or persons designated by the Village Council as the enforcement officer of this ordinance. G. Health Officer: The Health Officer designated by the Village Council. Section 2. Licensing. A. Except as provided in Section 18, no-person shall own, keep or harbor any dog within the Village limits unless such dog is licensed as herein pro- vided. Written application for such license shall be made to the Village Clerk and shall state the name and address.of the owner and the name, breed, color, age and sex of the` -dog. The license fee shall be paid at the time of making the application, a numbered receipt shall be given to the applicant, and a numbered metallic tdg shall be issued to the owner. B. The yearly license fee shall.be.Five Dollars ($5.00) for each dog. C. All dog licenses shall.:be issued.for one'year begin- ning with the first day of June.. `'Application for licenses may be made sixty (60) days prior to the start of the licensing year, and thereafter during the licensing year. Applications made after June 30th of the licensing year shall be assessed a penalty of fifty cents ($.50) for each late month of portion thereof which amount shall be added to and collected with the regular license fee. Any owner who secures a dog after the start of the li -. cente year shall be allowed thirty (30) days after acquiring such dog to secure a license and must with his application for a dog license file an affi- davit identifying the dog and stating the date of its acquisition. Any dog which may be impounded for violations of this chapter, within such thirty -day period may be reclaimed by the owner without paying the impounding fee, but such owner shall be responsi- ble for paying the cost of keeping such dog during its impounding. D. Any dog owner, upon first becoming a resident of the Village of Mendota Heights, shall be allowed thirty (30) days from such time within which to obtain the dog license. Any dog which may be impounded for vi- olations of this chapter, within such thirty -day period may be reclaimed by the owner without paying the impounding fee, but such owner shall be responsi- ble for paying the cost of keeping such dog during its impounding. E. An owner of a new -born dog or dogs shall be allowed thirteen (13) weeks from the date of birth of such dog or dogs within which to obtain the dog license or licenses required hereunder. F. In the event that the metallic license tag issued for a dog shall be lost or stolen, the owner may obtain a duplicate tag by surrendering the receipt issued for the lost or stolen tag and upon the pay- ment of One Dollar ($1.00). G. If there is a.change of ownership of a dog during the license year, the new owner may have the current li- cense changed to his name by surrendering the receipt issued for the first tag and upon the payment of a transfer fee of One Dollar ($1.00). Section 3. Tag and Collar. A. Upon complying with the provisions of this ordinance, there shall be issued to the owner a metallic tag, stamped with a number and the year for which issued. B. Every owner is required to keep a valid tag securely fastened to the dog's choke chain, collar or harness, which must be worn by the dog at all times. C. No person shall counterfeit an official dog tag of this Village, or use such a counterfeit tag, or aid or abet in any such violation of this ordinance. Section 4. Restraint of All Dogs at All Times. No own- er of a dog shall permit his dog to be large in this Village, but shall keep such dog under restraint at all times. Section 5. Confinement Indoors of Certain Dogs. The owner of a dog shall confine within a building or secure en- closure every fierce, dangerous or vicious dog, except when securely muzzled and in the control of a competent person. 1 Every female 'dog in heat shall be confined in a building, secure enclosure, veterinary hospital or boarding kennel. Section 6. Keeping of Nuisance Dogs Prohibited. No person shall keep or harbor a dog which habitually barks or cries at night between the hours of 10:00 P. M. and 7:00 A. M. Any such dog is hereby declared to be a public nuisance. Section 7. Biting. No owner shall permit his dog to attack or bite a person outside the owner's premises. Section 8. Animal Shelter. The Village Council may provide for a Village -owned animal shelter, or may designate as the animal shelter of the Village a suitable kennel either within or outside the Village. Section g. Animal Warden and Assistants. The Village Council shall designate the animal warden and may if it so determines appoint such additional persons as it may deem necessary to aid and assist such animal warden in the perform- ance of his duties hereunder. All references to the animal warden in this ordinance shall be deemed to include such assistants. Such persons and the police officers of the Village shall have police powers to cite owners of dogs for violations of this ordinance, in addition to their powers in impounding dogs. Section 10. Impounding Dogs. A. The animal warden and his assistants and any police officer of the Village may take up and impound any dog found not to be kept, confined or restrained in the manner required by this ordinance. To enforce this ordinance such officers may enter upon private premises where it appears or where there is reason- able cause to believe that a dog is not being kept, confined or restrained as herein required. Any dog so impounded shall be confined in the animal shelter in a humane manner for a period of not less than seventy -two (72) hours exclusive of Saturday, Sun- day and Holidays, if not claimed prior thereto by its owner. Thereafter said dog shall become the property of the Village and may disposed of in a humane manner or may be sold to or placed in the custody of some other suitable person. If a dog is destroyed pursuant to this chapter, the license for such dog shall expire. B. Immediately upon the impounding of a dog wearing a current license, the animal warden shall make every reasonable effort to notify the owner of such dog of such impoundment and of the conditions whereby the owner may regain custody of the dog. Any verbal notices shall immediately be confirmed in writing by the animal warden. Section 11. Redemption of Impounded Animals. Any dog impounded h6reunder not being Held ror suspected disease may be reclaimed by.the owner within seventy -two (72) hours exclusive of Saturday, Sunday and Holidays upon payment by the owner to the Village of an impounding fee in the amount of Three Dollars ($3.00), plus an additional sum equal to the cost to the Village of:keeping such dog in the Village animal shelter. If the dog so reclaimed requires a license under the provisions of this ordinance, such license shall be obtained before such dog is released. - 3 - Section 12. Interference. No person shall interfere with, hinder or molest the animal warden or any of his assist- ants or any police officer in the performance of their duties here- under, or seek to release any animal in the custody of the animal warden except as herein provided. Section 13. Killing Dogs which cannot be Impounded. If a dog is diseased, vicious, dangerous, rabid or exposed to rabies and such dog cannot be impounded after a reasonable effort, or cannot be impounded without serious risk to the persons attempt- ing to impound, such dog may be immediately killed. Section 14. Diseased Animals. Whenever the animal warden, any police officer, or the Health Officer have reason to believe that any dog in the Village of Mendota Heights has been exposed to rabies, or whenever the animal warden, any Village police officer, or the Health Officer has reason to believe that a dog has bitten any person within the Village of Mendota Heights, the animal warden, any Village police officer, or the Health Officer is hereby authorized and empowered to take such dog to the animal shelter and there keep such dog for such time as the Health Officer shall order, to give the Health Officer an opportunity to determine whether such dog is diseased and no diseased dog shall be killed until so ordered by the Health Officer. The cost of keeping such dog in the Village animal shelter shall be paid by the owner of such dog. The owner of any such dog may, at his option, keep such dog inaccessible to other animals and confined within a building approved by the Health Officer in lieu of such impoundment. The laws of the State of Minnesota on this subject and any other order of the Department of Health of the State of Minnesota in respect to any dog shall be controlling in the event that there is a conflict with any order of the ani- mal warden or the Health Officer. Section 15. Reports of Bite Cases. It shall be the duty of every physician or any other person to report to the animal warden the names and addresses of persons treated for bites in- flicted by animals within the Village of Mendota Heights, together with such other information as will be helpful in rabies control and the animal warden shall immediately inform the Health Officer of such report. Section 16. Responsibilities of Veterinarians. It shall be the duty of every licensed veterinarian to report to the animal - warden his diagnosis of any animal within the Village of Mendota Heights observed by him as a rabies suspect and the animal warden shall immediately inform the Health Officer of such report. Section 17. Investigation. For the purposes of dis- charging the duties imposed by this ordinance and to enforce its provisions, the animal warden or any police officer of this Vil- lage is empowered to enter upon the premises upon which a doQ is kept or harbored and to demand the exhibition by the owner of such dog and /or the license for such dog. The animal warden or any police officer may enter the premises where any animal is kept in a reportedly cruel or inhumane manner and demand to examine such animal and to take possession of such animal when in his opinion it requires humane treatment. Section 18. Exemptions. A. Hospitals, clinics and other premises operated by licensed veterinarians exclusively for the care and - 4 - Il r� treatment of animals are exempt from the pro- visions of this chapter except where such duties are expressly stated. B. The licensing requirements of this chapter shall not apply to any dog belonging to a non - resident of the Village and kept within the Village for not longer than thirty days provided that all such dogs shall at all times while within the Village be kept under restraint. Section 19. Records. A. It shall be the duty of the animal warden to keep, or cause to be kept, accurate and detailed records of the licensing, impoundment and disposition of all animals coming into its custody. B. It shall be the duty of the Health Officer to keep, or cause to be kept, accurate and detailed records of all bite cases reported to him and his investiga- tion of the same. C. The animal warden shall account for and pay over monthly to the Village any money received by him on behalf of the Village hereunder, and shall also give an accurate written report each month to the Village Council stating all monies collected, all dogs im- pounded and the duration of impoundment, and all dogs destroyed. Section 20. Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall, upon conviction therefor, be punished by a fine of not to exceed $100, or by imprisonment for not to exceed 90 days. Section 21. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication according to law. .s7` Enacted and ordained into an ordinance this ,71 day of May, 1964. (Seal) Attest: William Cal!k-ins, �Cle-rk THE VILLAGE OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS By QDCJ4 / DonaldiHuber, Mayor -5-