16-11. Mistreatment of animals prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for any person owning, keeping or responsible for an animal to deprive, or cause the animal to be deprived of adequate food, adequate water, adequate shelter (as defined above in 16-1) and necessary medical attention.
- Necessary medical attention. No person owning, keeping, or responsible for an animal shall fail to supply the animal with necessary medical attention or vaccines when the animal suffers from illness, injury or disease.
- Adequate Shelter.
- When confinement prohibited. No animal may intentionally be confined in a building, enclosure, car, boat, vehicle or vessel of any kind when to do so would expose the animal to heat or cold harmful to its health.
- Standards for chaining. No animal may be chained outdoors unattended without a chain/cable of suitable length designed and placed to prevent choking or strangulation, with the area free of obstacles and humanely clean so that the animal may have access to food, water, and shelter. It shall be illegal to tether, chain, stake out, tie up or otherwise similarly restrict any and all birds unless a certified wildlife rehabilitation facility.
- An owner of an animal shall not permit injury or inflict pain upon such animal from an improperly fitting or embedded collar or harness.
- It shall be illegal to own, keep, or harbor an animal for the purpose of fighting other animals; or attacking other animals or people except for protecting the owner or owner’s real property. It shall be illegal to sponsor, promote, organize animal fights, train animals for fighting, or provide animals for fighting including but not limited to dog fighting and cock fighting. Evidence of training animals to fight shall include but not be limited to: alterations to the animal for fighting such as removing spurs or a comb; tying animals to antagonize them and the discovery of a fighting ring or location.
- An owner of an animal shall not hit, physically abuse, or torment the animal.
