§ 18-2. Cruelty and abuse of animals prohibited.

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person to ill-treat, tease, molest, or abandon an animal or fowl. It shall be unlawful to overdrive, overload or cruelly beat, mutilate, kill, torture, poison, abuse, or cause to procure to be overdriven, overloaded, or cruelly beaten, mutilated, killed, tortured, poisoned or abused, any animal or fowl.

(1)

A feral cat that has been trapped for the purpose of sterilization, vaccination or ear tipping and is returned to the location where it was trapped shall not be deemed abandoned.

(b)

It is unlawful for any person keeping an animal or fowl to fail to provide for that animal or fowl:

(1)

Clean, sanitary, safe and humane conditions;

(2)

Sufficient quantities of appropriate food daily served in a sanitary container or dish;

(3)

Proper shelter as defined in section 18-2.1;

(4)

Adequate quantities of visible clean and fresh water available at all times provided in a sanitary manner; and

(5)

Medical attention and/or necessary veterinary care when an animal is sick, diseased, or injured. This shall include necessary efforts to maintain an animal's coat and skin in a reasonably healthy condition and free of fleas and ticks. Upon request of the agency, written proof of veterinary care must be provided.

(6)

Sufficient living space for the animal to move about freely to exercise, lie down, as well as sit and stand.

An animal shall be considered abandoned if any of the above requirements are not met for more than 24 hours.

(c)

Individuals, institutions or corporations who trap domestic animals or wildlife in humane traps are responsible for monitoring the traps and ensuring the safety of the animals trapped until they are removed by the agency or a certified wildlife removal company. Failure to monitor the wellbeing of the trapped animals resulting in injury or death of the trapped animal whether intentional or through negligence shall be unlawful and considered cruelty to animals.

(d)

It shall be unlawful to leave any animal in an unattended motor vehicle or transport an animal in any motor vehicle without adequate ventilation. Temporary or permanent medical injury, distress, or death caused to an animal in a vehicle regardless of ventilation shall be considered cruelty.

(e)

It shall be unlawful to transport any animal on a public road in any open-bed vehicle unless the animal is safely and humanely restrained (at a minimum by a harness with double tethering for dogs) so that the animal is unable to jump or fall out of the vehicle. If transporting an animal in a kennel or cage in an open bed vehicle, the kennel or cage must be double-tethered to prevent the kennel from moving.

(Code 1956, § 7-6; Ord. No. 20,760, § 1, 6-20-02; M.C.S., Ord. No. 25205, § 1, 3-7-13)

State law reference

Municipalities, authority to punish, R.S. 3:2392; cruelty to animals, offense, R.S. 14:402.1.