Ord 1784 5/27/1957ORDINANCE NO. 1 784
AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE LICENSING OF ALL DOGS
WITHIN THE CCRPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF WICHITA FALLS,
TEXAS; PROHIBITING DOGS FROM RUNNING AT LARGE WITHIN THE
CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF WICHITA FALLS UNLESS MUZ-
ZLED; PROHIBITING DOGS FROM RUNNING AT LARGE WITHIN THE
CORPORATE LIMITS OF WICHITA FALLS; 1lTrHCRIZING THE IM-
POUNDING AND DESTRUCT I C11j OF DOGS* PROVIDING A PENALTY;
REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT THEREWITH; AND DE-
CLARING AN EMERGENCY.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY
OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS:
Section 1. Definition of Terms, 'As used in this or-
dinance, unless the con cDx otherwise indicates:
(a) "Dog" shall be intended to mean both male and
female.
(b) - "Owner" shall be intended to mean any person '
or persons, firm, association or corporation owning, keeping,
or harboring a dog.
(c) "At large"-shall be intended to mean off the
premises of the owner, and not under the control of the owner,
or a member of his immediate family, either by leash, cord,
chain or otherwise.
Section 2.'License and Registration Required. P.11 dogs
kept,, h�arEored, orimaimaintaineb by their owners in the City
of Wichita Falls, shall be licensed and registered if over
six months of age. Dog licenses shall be issued by the
A° chief of police upon payment of a license tax of 91.00 for
TY each dog, male or female. The Chief of Police may authorize
any licensed veter`Inar.lan +:o be his agent to collect the
license tax, The owner shall state at the time application
is made for, such license and upon prinked forms provided '
for such purpose his name and address, and the name, breed,
color and sex of each dog owned or kept by him. The pro-
vision of this section shall not be intended to apply to
dogs-whose owners are non - residents totriporarily within the
city, nor to dogs brought into the city for the purpose of
participating in any dog shows. But in no event shall the
chief of police or his duly authorized agent issue a license
tag to any owner of a dog unless and until such owner shall
furnish a vaccination certificate issued by a licensed vet-
erinarian. The license shall be in effect for one year from
the date of the vaccination certificate.
Seetiion 3, Vaccination.- It shall be unlawful for the
owner of any dog f o keep, maintain �—a _ "- ::w such dog t-
gz unless it shall have been vaccinated by a licensed
veterinarian with anti - rabies vaccine within one year pre-
ceding the date on which such dog Is kept`; maintained �_
Section 4, That it shall hereafter be unlawful for the
owner or hareorer or any person having custody or control
of any dog, either male or female, to suffer or permit the
same to run loose or at large upon the streets, alleys or
other public places In the City of Wiclilta Falls, Texas,
unless the mouth of such animal is rr,lizzled in such manner
as to protect persons from being Mitten by such animal,
Section 5. That the provisions of this article shall
not apply to —dogs which are not over six months of age nor
to dogs which are being led upon the streets or other public
places in the city and which are securod by means of a suit-
able collar and leash,
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Section 6. Runninq at Large Prohibited during
Certain Periods, No owner or keeper
of any dog sha 1.1 permit sucd og to run at large during
a rabid period, which period shall'be designated by the
Mayor of the City of Wichita Falls, Texas,
Section 7, Designation of Rabid Period. Whenever
it becomes necessary to sa eguard-tSe public from the
dangers of hydrophobia, the mayor, if he deems it nec-
essary, shall issue a proclamation ordering every per-
son owning or keeping a dog to confine it securely on
his premises; any dog running at large during the time
of the proclamation shall be seized and impounded, un-
less noticeably infected with rabies. All dogs so
noticeably infected with rabies and displaying vicious
propensities shall be killed by the Dog Catcher or a
policeman, without notice to the owner, decapitated
and the head sent to the State Department of Health
Laboratory by the Local Health Department for examina-
tion for rabies.
Section B. Duty of Officers -to Impound,- It shall
be the '�"d _o"F the 77.! f o.. Po Ti or any po l i ce off icer'
or the dog catcher, to cause to be taken up and impounded,
all dogs loose or a ' large, in violation of the terms of
this ordinance.
Section 9. Right to Redeem ;'Conditions.- The owner
of any' d�`og mpounded as afore aid, shall have the right
to redeem same upon ayment to th-, police department. of
the sum of'fifty (50) cents for each day held at the
city pound,'f or eachdog so redeemed in addition to the
tax or fine, if any, The sum so paid to the police
department shall be paid by him into the city treasury,
Section 10. Time to Redeem - 1Ill impounded dogs
shall be redredeemed within thr�3e days after their
capture and Impoundment and all such dogs not redeemed
within the said time shall be destroyed,
Section 11. Vaccination of Redeemed Dogs„- Any dog
at the dog pound must e vacc n_atedaagiln'sT—rables sub-
ject to the provisions of Sec. 3 of this ordinance be-
fore such dog may be redeemed.
Section 12. Confinement of Certain Dogs;- No dogs
of fierce, daugerous,or vicious propensities,and no
female dog in heat, whether licensed or not, shall be
allowed to run at large or upon the premises of one
other than the owner. If any such oog is found running
at large in violations of this provision, it shall be
taken up and impounded and shall not be releas d except
after payment of tr. fees provided in Section h herein;
provided, however, that if any dangerous, fierce or
vicious dogs so found at large cannot safely be taken
up and impounded, such dog may be slain by any policeman.
Section 13, puarantininq of Dogs Exposed to Rabies. -
Any dog that h 7s rabies or symptoms
thereof or that is suspected of having rabies or that
has been exposed to rabies, shall be at once released
to the dog catcher for disposal or at the direction of
the Director of Fublic Health, either confined in a vet-
erinary hospital approved by the Director of Public
Health, or immediately and securely confined by tying
with a chain of good quality and kept there under the
supervision of the Department of Public Health for a
period of not more than sixty (60) days,
Section 14. Quarantining of Rabid Dogs or Animals
WHich H� a've Bitien ersons, -_Every
animal of the dog kind that has- 7aTies or symptoms there-
of, or any animal that bites, scratches or otherwise
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attacks any person or persons within the city limi
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