HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-007INDIAN RIVER COUNTY OitDINANCE NO. 72 -7
An Ordinancc- to be entitled:
An Ordinance relating to Indian River
County animals; authorizing the Board
of County Commissioners of said County
to cause certain animals to be impounded,
examined and disposed of, to provide
facilities, equipment and personnel,
to fix fees, rates and charges and to
adopt and enforce additional rules and
regulations, requiring the vaccination,
certification and tagging of certain dogs;
making it unlawful to fail or refuse to
surrender certain animals, to own, possess,
harbor, keep or maintain certain dogs, to
remove the collar, harness or tag from a
dog belonging to another, or to hinder or
prevent the performance of any act or duty
authorized or required by this Ordinance;
making violation of this Ordinance a mis-
demeanor; making the provisions of this
Ordinance severable; providing an effective
date.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIOLIERS OF
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY:
Section 1. The Board of County Commissioners of
Indian River. County is hereby authorized to cause to be
impounded animals running or roaming at large or belived
to be strays; animals believed to have rabies or other
infectious or contagious disease; and animals not vacinated,
certified or tagged in accordance with this Ordinance.
Section 2. The said board is hereby authorized to
11rovide and maintain facilities and equipment for catching,
picking up, impounding and otherwise dealing with such
animals; to appoint, employ or designate impounding officers,
agents or employees, fix their compensation and prescribe
their duties and authorities; to establish by resolution
fees, rates and charges for certificates, tags, boarding,
care avid redemption of animals; and to adopt and enforce
additional rules and regulations carrying out the purposes
of this Ordinance.
Section 3. It shall be the duty of any person, firm
or corpoiati.on owning, possessing, harboring, keeping or
maintaining any animal within Indian River county whic'n has
bitten any person or other animal under circumstances
indicating that it has or may have rabies, or which is belived
to have rabies, to surrender such animal to an impounding
officer, agent or employee upon his request. It shall be
unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to fail or
refuse to so surrender any such animal, and, if such animal
cannot be safely caught, picked up or impounded, the same
Irtay be killed. Such animal shall be impounded for a period
of time not exceeding three (3) weeks and shall then be
returned, if it does not appear that its continued existence
jeopardizes public health, safety or welfare. The Board of
County commissioners of Indian River County, its impounding
officers, agents and employees, are authorized to engage
the services of licensed veterinarians to observe or treat
such animals and other impounded animals belived to have
rabies or other infectious or contagious disease at the
_33_
777
expense- of the owners and to destroy any such animal without
compensation, if it appears that its continued existence
jeopardizes public health, safety or. welfare.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of every person, firm or
corporation owning, possessing, harboring, keeping or maintain-
ing a dog within Indian Fiver County to provide such dog with
a collar or harness made of leather, meta]. or equivalent material
to which a metal or similar tag can he securely attached.
Each year prior to a date fixed by the Board every person, firm,
or corporation owning, possessing, harboring, keeping or
maintaining any dog over four (4) months old within said county
shall c< -use such dog to be vaccinated against rabies by a
licensed physician, veterinarian or other qualified person
designated by the Board of County Commissioners of said county.
Evidence of vaccination shall consist of a county certificate
idem -iying the dog and its owner completed and signed by the
person administering the vaccine. The person issuing the
certificate shall attach to the collar or harness of the
vaccinated dog a tag furnished by the said county at a cost
fixed by the said Board. One copy shall be given to the owner,
two (2) copies shall be filed with the Indian River Tax Collector.
It'shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to awn,
possess, harbor, keep or maintain within Indian River County any
such dog that has not been so vaccinated, certified or tagged, and
it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to
remove or cause to be removed any collar, harness or tag from
any such dog not lawfully owned, possessed, harbored, kept or
maintained by�such person, firm or corporation. Every such
person, firm or corporation shall securely and permanently affix
said collar or harness to and maintain the.same on each such dog
and shall affix and maintain the lecense tag hereinafter described
for the current year for such dog to said collar or harness in
order that each such dog shall continuously display such .license
tag. In the event any license tag is lost or destroyed, every
such owner, keeper, person, firm or corporation owning, possess-
ing, harboring, keeping or maintaining any dog duly licensed for
the current year shall make application for a duplicate license
tag to the Indian River County Tax Collector, who will issue a
duplicate in the same manner in which the original was issued.
The fee for a duplicate license tag shall he one-half_ of the fee
which would have been charged if the application had been for an
original. annual license tag.
Section 5. The Board of County Commissioners of Indian
River County, its impounding officers, agents and employees
are authorized to humanely destroy or otherwise dispose of,
without compensation to the owner at its discretion any
animal provided notice has been given to the person, firm,
or corporation o:•:ning, possessing, harboring, keeping or
maintaining such anirial, if }mown, affording reasonable
opportunity to redeem such ani-mal by payment of accrued fees
and charges. A humane society may be given the privilege of
destroying or otherG•;ise disposing of unredeemed animals.
.Section G. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm,
or corporation icy hinder or prevent the performance by any
impounding officer, agent or employee of any act or duty
authorized or required by this Ordinance.
Section 7. Violations of any provision of this
Ordinance shall constitute a misdemeanor punishable as such.
Section II. This Ordinance shall apply throughout the
territory of Indian River County outside any municipality.
Section 9. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be
construed as limiting the authorities, duties and respon=
sibilities of the State Board of Health, other state agencies,
the Sheriff, or other law enforcement officers.
Section 10. If any provision of this Ordinance is held
invalid, the remainder of the Ordinance shall not be affected.
Section 11. This Ordinance shall take effect: on July 15,
1972.
- 4 -