Animals are kept at the shelter until it is reclaimed by the owner, adopted to a new owner, placed with another organization or euthanized. Section 6: RABIES VACCINATION REQUIRED. Any such untreated injured animal or any diseased animal shall be immediately treated or, when necessary, humanely destroyed, to prevent unwarranted suffering. <<47482B4B71B2F640AFA4DD42CD06EEE3>]>> Approved by the Quorum Court on August 18, 2020. In coming weeks, the citys official website will provide updates on the implementation of the registration process. In addition to the fines associated with the violation, the owner of the at-large animal must pay for reasonable boarding costs per calendar day, not to exceed $60 per day. Owners of nuisance animals shall be subject to fine. Buy 12 months and save 50%. Any domestic animal found to be at large within the unincorporated areas of Faulkner County, Arkansas, may be picked up by an Animal Welfare Officer and there confined in a humane manner. When any animal has bitten, scratched or otherwise attacked a person or another domestic animal, the person or anyone having knowledge of such incident shall immediately notify Animal Welfare. 0000006082 00000 n At-Large: "At Large" means any dog that is not under direct control of the owner.

Under the current ordinance, pit bulls are classified as vicious. The new policy is not breed-specific and will apply the term to individual dogs who show aggression. The Sheriff or his deputy for the purpose of enforcing this Ordinance, are clothed with full police power to apprehend and impound any vicious dog or a dog thought to be infected with rabies within Faulkner County and may enter upon private property to apprehend such dog. Rather, it encourages the lawmakers to implement breed-neutral policies that focus on dog behavior, as well as owner responsibility and accountability. Each day that a violation of this ordinance continues shall be deemed a separate offense, not to exceed the maximum amount allowed by law. In addition to the foregoing penalties, any person who violates this section shall pay all expense, including shelter, food, handling, veterinary care and testimony necessitated by the enforcement of this section. ABA House Resolution 100 urges all states and local governments to repeal breed-specific bans and other legislation that place overly burdensome restrictions on owners of certain dog breeds. All quarantines shall be for a period of ten (10) days. If the municipality knows the address of the dog owner, such as a loose dog possessing a tag with the owners information, the municipality must send a notice of intent to the owner regarding the proposed destruction of the dog. For the second offense, a person will pay a fine of up to $200 plus restitution. All owners, keepers or harbors of vicious or dangerous dogs within ten days of being so designated shall display in a prominent place on their premises a sign easily readable by the public, using the words "Beware of dog." Putting a ban on Big Macs, they kill and destroy people too. You also cannot move the dog to another location or dispose of it before notifying health authorities. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to any dog or cat under the age of three months. Said citation shall designate the offense committed and shall require the person so charged to appear before the District Court of Faulkner County to answer the charges therein contained or present said citation at the District Court of Faulkner County Building prior to said court date for disposition. 0 The adoption of this Ordinance is an emergency due to the health and safety of the citizens of Faulkner County, and therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist, and this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect immediately upon its passage and approval. In Arkansas, municipalities are provided the power to decide city ordinances on specific dog rules and regulations under statute A.C.A. This article proposes a model ordinance, which is crafted upon an analysis of the cause and effects of breed-specific legislation as well as the reasoning behind its repeal in favor of breed-neutral laws. In addition, a similar sign will be posted on the kennel or pen. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Lady Freethinker is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It shall be an affirmative defense to this offense if the animal was provoked or teased. Owner shall have sole liability for the costs. Should an arrest be required for failure to appear in response to said citation, the Animal Welfare Officer(s) shall seek the assistance of the Faulkner County Sheriff's Department to affect such arrest. The court declared that the ordinance was not unconstitutionally vague in its classification of banned dogs, which includes: any dog whose sire or dame is one of the banned breeds; any dog whose owner registers or admits the dog as being one of the banned breeds; any dog conforming or substantially conforming to one of the banned breeds as defined by one of two kennel clubs; or any dog which is of the breed commonly referred to as pit bull and commonly recognizable and identifiable as such. The court also concluded that the city had a reasonable basis under the states police power for including specific breeds in the list of banned dogs, namely for the purpose of preventing injury to people and property by dogs. Get the latest updates on our investigations and petitions Dogs who were registered prior to the implementation of the ban were allowed to remain in the city, but under very strict rules. 0000003329 00000 n Animal Welfare Officer: "Animal Welfare Officer" means any person appointed by the Sheriff of Faulkner County to perform duties as assigned by the Sheriff to effectuate this Ordinance. causes death or serious injury to any person; or, on two (2) or more occasions within a 12-month period attacks or bites a person without provocation; or, on two (2) or more occasions within a 12-month period, while off the property of its owner and without provocation, kills or seriously injures another domestic animal or livestock; or. 14-54-1102. Animal Welfare Officers have the authority to impound such an animal described in subsection (A) and that animal may remain in the custody of Animal Welfare until all provisions of Section 15 are met. Violation of this section may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or felony in accordance with A.C.A. The Animal Welfare Officer(s) and members of the Faulkner County Sheriff's Department are hereby authorized to issue a citation for arrest as defined by the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure to the owner, keeper or possessor of any dog or cat violating any provision of this ordinance. Cat: Any domestic or feral cat (Felis catus or Felis domesticus) over the age of six (6) months. Our Arkansas injury lawyer has provided this web site for informational purposes only. trailer This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. I disagree with any dog being banned. I have three so i know because I am not getting rid of none of mine. HJRQ+]<2q:$=:ki| If you live in oakland county you are allowed 3 dogs.

In addition, no such animal may be kept in a building when the windows are open or when screen window or screen doors are the only obstacles preventing the dog from exiting the structure unless they exit to the proper enclosure. Upon the request of any person who has been bitten by a dog or other animal within the unincorporated areas of Faulkner County, Arkansas, (or by a parent or legal guardian of a person bitten who is under a disability), the Animal Welfare Officer shall take such dog or animal, or a plurality of same if they are reasonably suspected of the biting, into custody and confine and quarantine same under the provisions of subsection (A) or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, who shall keep such dog or animal in quarantine until he shall issue his certificate that: When the licensed veterinarian supervising the quarantine of any dog or other animal quarantined under subsection (A) and (B) shall issue the certificate provided for in subsection (B) (1), the owner of such dog or animal may retake custody of it upon tender to such veterinarian or the Animal Welfare Officer of their customary and reasonable fees and charges for impounding, boarding, lodging, observation and testing; except a person who is bitten by an animal while baiting, teasing, or molesting said animal or while trespassing on the premises of the owner or keeper of said animal shall pay all customary and reasonable charges and fees resulting from his request to have said animal confined and quarantined. 0000007877 00000 n Nuisance animals are any animals which infringe upon the rights of another animal or a person by any of the following: In the case of animals causing a noise problem and after owner of such animal has been duly notified twice that the problem needs correcting, and such correction has not been put in place, nuisance animals may then be impounded and a notice left at the owner's residence so as to provide the owner with instructions for reclaiming the animal. WHEREAS, Ordinances 13-22, 14-02, and 14-06 are hereby repealed and replaced by this ordinance. Animal Welfare Unit: "Animal Welfare Unit" means any premises approved by the Sheriff for the purpose of enforcing this Ordinance and used as a shelter for seized, homeless, abandoned or unwanted dogs, cats or other animals. In 1991, The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld the ordinance that named American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and American Staffordshire Terriers as banned breeds in Maumelle. Animal attacks which show evidence of recklessness or purposefulness on the part of the person in possession of the animal may be prosecuted under the assault and battery laws of the State. *Lindsey Bailey is a lifelong Arkansan, born and raised in Pocahontas, Arkansas. No person owning, possessing or keeping an animal shall allow the same to be at-large within the unincorporated areas of Faulkner County, Arkansas.

Residents who adopt pit bulls will be required to register their dogs. If youre curious about the areas in Little Rock that have the most reported dog attacks, read our latest blog post on the subject here. It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly keep any injured animal without providing proper treatment for such injury, or any animal infected with a disease which may contaminate other animals and which may be a health hazard. Kennel: An establishment wherein any person, business, or organization engages in the practice of boarding, breeding, buying, grooming, letting for hire, training for a fee, or selling dogs or other animals. This information should not be taken as legal advice nor does the use of this site constitute an attorney-client relationship. Never miss an update for the animals! Please refresh the page and/or check your browser's JavaScript settings. A law enforcement officer may kill any animal without notice to the owner if it is reasonably suspected by the officer to be a vicious or dangerous animal and is putting persons or property in immediate and unreasonable danger. Similar to dog leash laws, Arkansas has no statewide dog bite regulations. So far this year, pit bull bans have been voted down in Gardendale, Alabama; the Missouri cities of Eureka and Liberty; and Garfield Heights, Ohio. She plans to graduate from the William H. Bowen UALR School of Law in May 2014 with honors. On Tuesday, the city of Cabot, Arkansas announced that it will change its rules on pit bull ownership. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to abandon any dog in Faulkner County, Arkansas. This article urges the city of Maumelle, along with municipalities in Arkansas and other states, to heed the recommendation of the ABA and repeal breed-specific dog ownership laws in favor of breed-neutral legislation. Any dog or other animal having rabies or symptoms thereof, or suspected of having rabies, or which has been exposed to rabies shall be immediately released by the owner or custodian of such dog or animal to the Animal Welfare Officer and the Animal Welfare Officer shall confine such dog or animal in quarantine as provided for above. A person acts "knowingly" when he is aware that such circumstances exist. When living in Arkansas, youll see a wide range of pedestrians out and about heading off to school, work or recreational activities. has been previously found to be potentially dangerous, the owner having received notice of such and the dog again aggressively bites, attacks, or endangers the safety of humans or domestic animals. Dogs come in a range of breeds, sizes and personalities, and some pets can be large and lovable, while others small and excitable. There are no statewide dog leash laws in Arkansas. It is also an unlawful activity for the owner to sell or transfer ownership of the dog after it has bitten a person and the health authorities have not been notified or given their release of the animal. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This Arkansas City Has Reversed Its Law Banning Pit Bulls. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE QUORUM COURT OF FAULKNER COUNTY, ARKANSAS: The following words and phrases shall have the following meaning for the purposes of this ordinance: Animal: Every vertebrate non-human species of animal, wild or domestic, male or female, including, but not limited to, dogs, cats, livestock and other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. 0000000596 00000 n For the second offense, a person will pay a fine of $1250 plus restitution. Section 13: DISEASED OR INJURED ANIMALS: Section 14: KEEPING OF DANGEROUS OR VICIOUS DOG: Section 15: KILLING RABID, VICIOUS OR DANGEROUS ANIMALS: The Fines collected pursuant to this Ordinance will be maintained in an "animal control fund" of the County Treasury and used in furtherance of goals of this ordinance. A metal tag evidencing such vaccination shall be attached to the harness or collar of every animal in the county. Conway, AR 72032 37 0 obj <>stream It is unlawful for the owner or keeper of a vicious or dangerous dog registered in Faulkner County to fail to comply with the requirements set for in this section.

23 15 The pen, kennel or structure must have secure sides and a secure top, which is attached to the sides.

No person shall interfere with, hinder or molest the Animal Welfare Officer in the performance of any duty of such officer or seek to release any animal in the custody of the Animal Welfare Officer except as herein provided. The ABAs decision follows the example set forth by a significant number of jurisdictions that have recognized the unfair prejudice of breed-specific legislation and its ineffectiveness at reaching its primary goalreducing the number of dog bite injuries. endstream endobj 29 0 obj <>stream If the dog is a stray, the person bitten by the dog will have to make confinement arrangements for the animal. right to your inbox.