§ 3-27. Nuisance animals.

(a)

All animal owners shall exercise proper care and control of their animals to prevent them from becoming a public nuisance. Excessive, continuous or untimely barking, harassing passersby, biting or attacking any person without provocation on one or more occasions, chasing vehicles, habitually attacking other domestic animals, trespassing upon school grounds or trespassing upon private property in such manner as to damage or destroy or create an unsanitary condition on such property shall be deemed a nuisance. Repeated running at large after citation of the owner by any animal control officer shall also be deemed a nuisance.

(b)

Any such person owning any animal constituting a nuisance shall be summoned before the general district court to show cause why such animal should not be confined, destroyed, removed or the nuisance otherwise abated and upon proof that the animal constitutes a public nuisance the animal in question shall, by order of the general district court, either be confined, destroyed, removed or the nuisance otherwise be abated as such court shall order; the court may also impose a fine up to one hundred dollars to be paid by the owner or custodian of such animal. It shall be unlawful and shall constitute contempt of court for any person to harbor or conceal any animal which has been ordered destroyed or removed by the general district court or to fail to confine or restrain an animal when such an order has been entered by the court.

(c)

If the animal control officer or his duly authorized agent has reason to believe that any animal has, without provocation, attacked or bitten any person, such animal may be taken into custody and confined by the animal control officer pending determination of the courts pursuant to this section.

(d)

Any person who owns any dog, cat or other animal that has been adjudged a nuisance pursuant to this section by the general district court and who appeals that decision to the circuit court shall be responsible for the fees connected with the impounding of the animal by the animal control officer. The animal control officer or owner shall confine such dog, cat or other animal during pendency of the appeal to prevent a reoccurrence of the nuisance. If on appeal, the circuit court determines that the dog, cat or other animal is not a nuisance, no such fees for the impounding of the animal shall be imposed. (6-18-15.)