Ordinance - 171•
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ORDINANCE NO. / l
AN ORDINANCE REGULATING THE LICENSING OF DOGS,
MUZZLING AND RESTRAINT OF DOGS AT CERTAIN TIMES,
VACCINATION OF DOGS, PROVIDING FOR THE CONTROL
AND ERADICATION OF RABIES IN THE CITY OF 'HEST
COVINA.
The City Council of the City of West Covina does ordain
as follows:
Section 1. Wherever in this ordinance the words "Health
Officer" are used, they shall be construed to mean "Health Of7
ficer or his representative."
Section 2. Every person, association, or corporation
owning or harboring a dog within the corporate limits of the
City of 'lest Covina, California, shall pay to the Chief of
Police an annual license fee of two dollars for each male or
spayed female dog and three dollars for each female dog, and
shall at the time of payment of such fee, deliver to the Chief
of Police a certificate of vaccination signed by a veterinarian
licensed to practice as such in the State of California, cer-
tifying that he vaccinated such dog with canine rabies vaccine
--one injection --or approved method, within a period of twelve
months, and giving the date of such vaccination, the breed. - or
type of such dog and the name of the one owning or harboring c
the same, and these payments shall be, for the period ending
the next December 31st after the date of such vaccination, as
shown by such certificate, provided that any dog vaccinated
between July lst and:December 31st -after the date of such
vaccination as: -shown by such certificate, and further provided
that the license fee for any such license so issued. for a les-
ser perilbd than' one year -shall be at the following rates, to -
wit: one -twelfth of said annual fee for each month or 'fraction
thereof, but no such license shall be issued for less than the
times herein. stated._ No license shall be issued for any
period ending later thanrone year from the date of such vacci-
nation as shown by such certificate. • ° The persons vaccinating
such dog shall issue certificates of vaccination on blanks
approved by said city, and the delivery of such certificate of
vaccination shall be precedent to the issuance of such dog
license. The fee for such vaccination shall be paid by said
city only when dogs to be vaccinated are brought by the owners
or custodians thereof to the place or places and at the times
designated by order of said City Council.
Section 3. The owner of any dog licensed as aforesaid
shall securely fasten about the neck of the dog a collar with
the number of the license cut or engraved thereon, or a tag
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attached thereto bearing the number of such license.
Section 4. The Chief of Police shall give to each per-
son paying such license aforesaid a receipt stating the amount
and date of payment and the date of expiration of such license,
and containing a brief description of the dog, and he shall
furnish the owner a numbered tag, of a durable material, unless
the owner prefers to cut or engrave the number directly upon
the dog collar.
Section 5. The Chief of Police shall keep a register of
all licenses issued, showing the name of the licensee, date
of issuance, date of expiration, description of the dog, and
the number of the tag.
Section 6. Every dog found running at large without a
numbered collar or license tag, as required by this ordinance,
shall be by the Chief of police or someone designated by him,
impounded at the City pound and kept there for a period of
seventy-two hours, within which time if the ownership of the
dog is proven and the owner calls for it he shall be able to
remove it; on the payment of one dollar which shall go to
• the credit of the city pound and (a). -if such dog is licensed
and the collar bearing the license number is lost or the li-
cense tag is lost, upon the replacement of such at the expense
of the owner, (b) if such dog is unlicensed, upon the delivery
of a certificate -of vaccination to the Chief of Police and the
payment to Iiim of the license fee in accordance with the pro-
visions of Section:. 2 hereof, and thereupon such owner so re-
claiming such dog shall be entitled to a license and numbered
tag as provided in Sections 2 and 4 hereof. And if the owner-
ship is not proven within said time, then such dog shall
be destroyed in a humane manner under the direction of the
City Pound blaster; provided, however, the Chief of Police
may give or sell any unredeemed dog that he would by this or-
dinance be authorized to destroy, to any person who shall pro-
cure for such dog the necessary collar or collar and tag with
license number thereon, and furnish the Chief of Police with
a certificat%6f vaccination as provided in Section 2 hereof.
Section 7. Upon the receipt by the Found blaster of any
dog, if the said Found blaster shall have reason to believe
that the same is afflicted ,,iith rabies or has been bitten by
any dog afflicted or suspected with being afflicted with
rabies, or has been exposed to the infection of rabies, the
said pound blaster shall separately confine and keep so con-
fined such dog and shall immediately notify the City Health
Officer thereof. The City Health Officer shall thereupon
make such examination of such dog as the said Health Officer
may deem necessary. If, upon such examination the City
Health Officer shall determine that such dog is afflicted
with rabies, he shall:so notify the said pound faster and'
the said Pound Pilaster shall kill such dog at such time and in
the manner directed by said City Health Officer. It shall
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be the duty of the Pound Master to keep every such dog
suspected.of having rabies so confined. for such time as the
City Health Officer may direct, and such dog shall not be
redeemed or released except upon an order in writing signed
by the City Health Officer. Nothing in this ordinance shall
be construed as permitting the redemption of any dog having
or suspected of having or having been infected with rabies.
Section 8. It shall be the duty of the Found Master,
his deputy, the Chief of Police and each of his deputies, and
of every police officer and special officer of the City of West
Covina, to impound or destroy any dog found in or upon any
public street, alley or other public place, or in or upon any
lot or premises, known to have rabies or known to have been
bitten by any dog having rabies.
Section 9. It shall be unlawful for any person to in-
terfere with or oppose or resist the Chief of Police or any
of his officers, Found Master or any of his deputies, or the
City Health Officer or any member or employee of the Health De-
partment while engaged in the performance of the duties pertain-
ing to the enforcement of this ordinance, all of which said
officers, members and employees are hereby empowered to enforce
all of the provisions of this ordinance.
Section 10. The City Health Officer employed by the City
Health Department is hereby empowered to enter upon any private
property for the purpose of ascertaining whether any dog kept
or harbored therein is afflicted with rabies or whether or not
a license tag has been secured for said dog.
Section 11. Any person owning or harboring a dog who
neglects or refuses to have the same vaccinated and licensed as
herein provided, shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished as herein provided.
Section 12. The City Council may by proclamation require
the owners of all dogs to ecurely muzzle them with muzzles of
1 wire of such design as mayApproved by the City Council, for
such length of time as the City Council may designate, and when-
ever in the opinion of the City Council there exists a reason-
able necessity for such muzzling as a protection to the public
safety, and all unmuzzled dogs running at large during such
proclamation may be destroyed by the Chief of Police and by
those designated'by him, provided the City Council shall by
proclamation state that in their opinion the public safety de-
mands that such dogs unmuzzled and running at large during such
period shall be destroyed. In addition to such muzzling of
dogs the City Council may also, under such proclamation, order
the retention of all dogs on the owner's premises or at designated
public places such as veterinary establishments, and such procla-
mation may include muzzling such dogs while so restrained.
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Section 13. No biting, vicious or dangerous dog shall
be harbored or kept or suffered to be kept or suffered to be
at large within said city unless the same be securely muzzled.
Whenever such biting, vicious or dangerous dog shall be out-
side the enclosure of its owner or keeper without being so muz-
zled, it shall be deemed to be a public nuisance and may be
killed by any peace officer, whether said dog be licensed,
registered and numbered or otherwise.
Section 140 All monies collected by the Chief of police
for licenses, and fees shall be him be paid into the City
Treasury for the general fund, and all expenses incurred in
carrying out or enforcing the provisions of this ordinance shall
be paid out of the general fund.
Section 15. Notwithstanding the provisions of this ordi-
nance, the provisions relating to licensing shall not apply
to dogs under six (6) months of age; provided they are kept
within enclosures and are not allowed to run at large.
Section 16. Whenever the owner or the person having
the custody or possession of an animal shall observe or learn
• that such animal shows symptoms of rabies, or acts in,a manner
which would lead to a reasonable suspicion that it may have
rabies, he shall immediately notify the Health Officer, or his
representative, to make an inspection or examination of such
animal until it shall be established to the satisfaction of
said official that such anximal has or has not rabies.
Section 17. Whenever it is suspected that any dog has
bitten any person, the owner or person having the custody or
possession thereof shall, upon order of the Health Officer,
quarantine it and keep it isolated in a secure enclosure and
on a chain until released by order of, such Health Officer,
and allow such Health Officer or his representative to make
an inspection or examination thereof at any time during such
period.
Section 18. if it shall appear to the Health Officer
that a dog or other animal has rabies, he shall forthwith
impound for ebservation such dog or other animal until released
by such Health Officer.
Section 19. Whenever any animal shall be bitten by another
animal suspected of having rabies, the owner or person having
the custody or possession of the animal so bitten shall imme-
diately notify the Health Officer of said City; and thereupon,
in the discretion of sufh Health Officer, such dog or other
animal so bitten may be quarantined for a period to be deter-
mined by the Health Officer.
Section 20. Except as otherwise provided in this ordinance,
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no persons shall bring or permit or encourage to be brought,
or to enter into said city, any dog which has not been vacci-
nated against rabies within twelve months immediately prior to
such entry. This section shall not apply to any dog kept
under the immediate control of the owner or custodian thereof
by leash or in an enclosed vehicle which is passing through
or temporarily stopping in said city.
Section 21. That any person, firm, or corporation vio-
lating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be
punishable by a fine of not less than two dollars nor more than
one hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the city jail for a
period of not less than one (1) nor more than fifty (50) days,
or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each such person, firm,
or corporation shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for
every day during any portion of which any violation of any of
the provisions of this ordinance is committed, continued, or
permitted by such person, firm, or corporation, and shall be
punishable therefor as provided by this ordinance.
Section 22. This Ordinance shall take effect thirty days
after the date of its adoption, and prior to the expiration of
fifteen days from the passage hereof shall be published once
in the West Covina Tribune, a newspaper printed and published
in the City of West Covina, County of Los Angeles, State of
California.
First Read at a egular me ing of the City Council of
said . City on the w day of , 1949, and finally
adopted and ordered published & a regular meeting of said
Council held on the �7_1_7day of , 1949, by the
following votes:
AYES:
NOES: Q
ABSENT.
MAY011 OF THE CITY OF
NEST COVINA
ATTEST:
o� p
CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF
WEST COVINA
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