Section 6.24.060 Rabid animals - quarantine

A. An animal that has rabies or shows signs of having rabies and every animal bitten by another animal affected with rabies or that has been exposed to rabies shall be reported by the owner as set forth in Section 6.24.050 and shall immediately be put in a secured place by the owner. The owner shall surrender the animal to the Animal Control Officer upon request.

C. Any animal subject to rabies that bites a person or other animal may be seized and quarantined for observation for a period of not less than ten (10) days by the Animal Control Officer. The owner of the animal shall bear the cost of confinement. The animal shelter shall be the normal place for quarantine, but other arrangements, including confinement by the owner, may be made by the Animal Control Officer if the animal had a current rabies vaccination at the time the bite was inflicted or if there are other special circumstances justifying an exception. A person who has custody of an animal under quarantine shall immediately notify the Animal Control Officer if the animal shows any signs of sickness or abnormal behavior, or if the animal escapes confinement. It is unlawful for any person who has custody of a quarantined animal to fail or refuse to allow a Health or Animal Control Officer to make an inspection or examination of that animal during the period of quarantine.

D. If the animal quarantined dies within ten (10) days from the date of bite, the person having custody shall immediately notify the Animal Control officer who shall immediately remove and deliver the head of the animal to the State Health Laboratory to be examined for rabies with all costs of such examination to be paid by the owner of the animal. If, at the end of a ten (10) day period, the Animal Control Officer examines the animal and finds no signs of rabies, the animal may be released to the owner or, in the case of a stray, it shall be disposed of in accordance with Section 6.20.030. (CC § 08-10-017 (6) (A), (B), (C))(Ord. No. 96-29, Amended, 11/20/96)