§ 6-58. Impoundment.

(a)

The city animal shelter is authorized to accept from the animal control officer or any resident of the city, and to impound, any dog or cat found running at large in violation of this article. The animal control officer shall not be required to respond to requests to pick up unconfined cats until the person making the request has confined or restrained the animal so that it can readily be taken into custody by the animal control officer. The animal control officer may use humane animal traps or tranquilizers to assist in confining the cat.

(b)

Whenever any animal in the animal shelter bears a current city tag, it shall be the duty of the animal control officer to notify the owner or the person to whom the tag was issued, if such person or owner can be found, that the animal has been taken up and placed in the animal shelter and will be destroyed or released to the humane society after ten days, unless the fees hereinafter prescribed are paid. If the owner or person to whom the tag was issued cannot be found, the animal control officer shall, by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt sent to such person's last-known address, notify such person that the animal has been impounded at the animal shelter, and will be destroyed or released to the humane society after ten days if the fee hereinafter prescribed is not paid. For the purpose of this section, the first day of taking up shall be counted as the first day of the impoundment period provided herein. Any unlicensed animal may be destroyed if space is limited, or if the animal is suffering from disease or injury, upon the approval of the animal control officer in charge and one other party.

(Code 1973, § 9.04.100; Ord. No. 1867, § 10, 1999; Ord. No. 2147, § 3, 2006)