§ 6-29. Rabies control, generally.

(a)

Any person or entity owning, harboring, or keeping a dog, cat, or ferret which in the preceding ten days has bitten any person, shall upon notification by animal control authority or police officer or designated department designee, place the animal at the owner's, person harboring or animal's keeper's expense in quarantine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for a period of ten days from the date the person was bitten. Failure to surrender any animal immediately after demand for quarantine or rabies testing by an animal control officer, police officer or department designee shall be deemed in violation of this article. The impoundment and observation of the dog, cat, or ferret shall be conducted at the veterinarian's facility. Boarding kennels shall not be considered proper confinement facilities. Unvaccinated animals shall be vaccinated against rabies on the final day of the ten-day observation period prior to discharge from the veterinarian's supervision. The veterinarian shall notify animal control of the disposition of the said animal. Exceptions to this rule include the following circumstances:

(1)

Dogs, cats, or ferrets involved in a first party ownership may be allowed to be securely confined and closely observed at the owner's home for ten-day home quarantine period immediately following the bite. The term "first party ownership" means a situation where the owner of a biting animal is directly related to the bite victim, that is parent-child, sibling-sibling, grandparent-child; or when the legal residence of the animal owner and the bite victim are the same. The term "home observation or quarantine" means quarantine of an animal allowed at the animal owner's property, where one of the following acceptable methods of confinement for a dog are used:

a.

Complete indoor housing;

b.

Caging or kenneling in an enclosure with a securely latched door;

c.

Yard confinement with perimeter fencing that the dog is unable to climb over or dig under and has never done so in the past.

Acceptable methods for confinement for a cat or ferret are:

a.

Complete indoor housing; or

b.

Caging in an enclosure that prevents escape.

The animal's needs for ambient temperature control, water, nutrition, elimination, and space to comfortably stand up and lie down must be adequately provided by the selected confinement method.

(2)

Dogs, cats, and ferrets meeting the criteria of currently vaccinated against rabies, and not inflicting a severe injury, can be placed in home quarantine, as described in subsection (a)(1) of this section, until the end of a ten-day period from the bite. If there are any changes in health or condition of an animal in a home quarantine, or if the animal dies, the person caring for that animal must take the animal directly to their veterinarian and report the change to the animal control division. A certification of animal health obtained after examination of a licensed veterinarian on the tenth day will be required and presented to animal control within two days of the end of the quarantine period. Approval for home quarantine will be determined by the animal control division officer, police officer or department designee.

(3)

Animals in service to the blind or hearing-impaired, and search and rescue dogs or other animals used for police enforcement duties shall be exempt from quarantine when a bite exposure occurs and proper record of immunization against rabies is presented. A certification of animal health obtained after an examination by a licensed veterinarian at the end of ten days may be required by the department.

(4)

Stray or unwanted dogs, cats, or ferrets that have bitten any person may either be quarantined for ten days at a veterinary facility or recognized quarantine facility or euthanized and the brain tissue submitted to the state department of health laboratory for rabies testing. Upon successful completion of the ten-day period, a stray animal may be placed for adoption by the animal control division's authority. At the end of the ten-day period, the animal control officer shall notify the person bitten by such animal of the disposition and/or the laboratory test results.

(b)

If, within the impoundment period provided herein, said animal dies or exhibits symptoms or indications of rabies, it shall be examined by a veterinarian for clinical diagnosis and then properly destroyed by a licensed veterinarian. The suspect's head or the head of any rabies-suspected animal which dies shall be submitted to the state health department laboratory for confirmation of diagnosis. In this event, the animal control officer shall immediately in writing notify the person bitten of said diagnosis.

(c)

When an examination report gives a positive diagnosis of rabies, the city health officer may recommend to the city manager citywide quarantine for a period of 30 days; and upon the invoking of such quarantine by the city manager, no animal shall be taken into the streets except under leash and complete control of a competent adult during such period of quarantine. In the event there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of the quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended for an additional period.

(d)

In the case of a dog, cat or ferret known to have been bitten or scratched by a rabid animal, said dog, cat or ferret shall be euthanized immediately either by a veterinarian of the owner's choice or by an animal control officer. If the owner of such dog, cat or ferret is unwilling to have such dog, cat or ferret destroyed, then, at the expense of the owner, any such unvaccinated dog, cat or ferret shall be placed in strict quarantine and observed for a period of six months under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The exposed animal shall be immediately vaccinated against rabies upon entry into quarantine and then given booster vaccinations at the third and eighth week of the quarantine period. Animals less than 16 weeks of age at the time of entry into quarantine could be required by the veterinarian to receive a booster vaccine in addition to the protocol set forth in this section. Any dog, cat, or ferret which is currently vaccinated against rabies and is exposed to a rabid animal shall be revaccinated immediately and isolated and confined by the owner for a period of at least 45 days.

(e)

No person shall kill, or cause to be killed, any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any animal biting a human, except as herein provided, nor remove the same from the city limits without written permission from the animal control officer. The animal control officer shall be notified immediately of any suspected rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any animal biting or scratching a human.

(f)

The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall upon demand be surrendered to the animal control officer.

(Code 1982, § 6-29; Ord. No. 2069, § 1, 5-2-1983; Ord. No. 2079, § 2, 7-25-1983; Ord. No. 2149, § 1, 8-6-1984; Ord. No. 2777, § 8, 3-24-2003)

State law reference

Rabies control, 63 O.S. § 1-508.