Shafter Municipal Code Ch. 6.44 Animal Care Requirements

Every person within the city of Shafter who owns any domesticated animal or who owns, conducts, manages or operates any facility engaged in the housing or confinement of animals shall comply with each of the following conditions:

A. Housing facilities for animals shall be structurally sound and shall be maintained in good repair, to protect the animals from injury, to contain the animals, and to restrict the entrance of other animals.

B. All animals shall be supplied with sufficient palatable food and potable water as often as the feeding habits of the respective animals require.

C. All animals and all animal buildings or enclosures shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.

D. All animals shall be maintained so as to eliminate excessive noise.

E. No animals shall be without proper care more than eighteen consecutive hours.

F. Every reasonable precaution shall be used to ensure that animals are not teased, abused, mistreated, annoyed, tormented or in any manner made to suffer by any person or means.

G. No condition shall be maintained or permitted that is or could be injurious to the animals.

H. Animal buildings and enclosures shall be so constructed and maintained as to prevent escape of the animals enclosed therein. All reasonable precautions shall be taken to protect the public from the animals and the animals from the public.

I. Every animal establishment shall be made to isolate sick animals sufficiently so as not to endanger the health of other animals. Sick animals shall at all times be isolated from the other animals.

J. Every building or enclosure wherein animals are maintained shall be constructed of material easily cleaned and sanitized and shall be properly ventilated to prevent drafts and to remove odors. Heating and cooling shall be provided as required, according to the physical need of the animals, with sufficient light to allow observation of the animals and sanitation.

K. Animal owners, caretakers, custodians of any animal shall take any animal to a veterinarian for examination for treatment, if the animal control officer, police officer, other authorized personnel finds this is necessary in order to maintain the health, safety and welfare of the animal and orders the owner, caretaker or custodian to do so.

L. All animal rooms, cages, kennels, and runs shall be of sufficient size to provide adequate and proper accommodations for the animal contained therein. All animals must be able to turn around and lie down in a reasonable manner and have adequate space to maintain proper sanitation.

M. Every violation of an applicable regulation shall be corrected within a reasonable time to be specified by the animal control officer, police officer, other authorized personnel.

N. All persons shall provide proper shelters and protection from the weather for all animals at all times.

O. No person shall give an animal any alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, or controlled substances, unless prescribed by a veterinarian.

P. No person shall allow animals which are natural enemies temperamentally unsuited, or otherwise incompatible, to be quartered together, or so near each other as to cause fear, injury, or torment. If two or more animals are so trained that they can be placed together and do not attack each other or perform or attempt any hostile act to the others, such animals shall be deemed not to be natural enemies.

Q. No person shall allow the use of any tack, equipment, device, substance or material that is, or could be injurious or cause unnecessary cruelty to any animal.

R. Proper rest period shall be given to all working animals. Confined or restrained animals shall be given exercise proper for the individual animal under the particular conditions.

S. No person shall work, use or rent any animal which is overheated, weakened, exhausted, sick, injured, diseased, lame or otherwise unfit.

T. No person shall allow any animal, which the animal control officer, police officer, other authorized personnel has suspended from use to be worked or used until released by a licensed veterinarian.

U. No person shall display animals bearing evidence of malnutrition, ill health, unhealed injury or having been kept in an unsanitary condition.

V. No person shall allow any animal to constitute or cause a hazard, or be a menace to the health, peace or safety of the community.

(Ord. 606 § 1 (part), 2007)