§ 5-5. Control and protection of animals.

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person to:

(1)

Permit any animal to run at large within the corporate limits of the city;

(2)

Carry out any inhumane treatment against any animal;

(3)

Interfere with or molest a dog used by the police department of the city in performance of the functions or duties of such department.

(4)

Keep or harbor any animal(s) which by loud, frequent or habitual barking, howling, yelping or other noise or action disturbs any person or neighborhood within the corporate limits of the city;

(5)

Keep or harbor more than four domesticated animals of the same species, over the age of three months, in any residential area within the corporate limits of the city;

(6)

Keep or maintain on their premises any pen(s), enclosure(s), etc., for keeping of animals or fowl so as to become a public nuisance to persons residing in the vicinity thereof, nor shall they be maintained or kept in any manner as to cause bodily injury to any person residing in the vicinity of the pen, enclosure, etc.

(7)

Keep or harbor any animal(s) or fowl in such a manner as to constitute a public nuisance to persons residing in the vicinity thereof by reason of odor or unsanitary conditions;

(8)

Fail to provide animals with sufficient good and wholesome food and water, proper shelter and protection from weather, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering, and with humane care and treatment;

(9)

Leave an animal unattended inside a motor vehicle when such action is harmful or reasonably potentially harmful to said animal; in the event the owner of said vehicle is not available and cannot be found or refuses to prevent said harm or reasonable potential harm from continuing, the animal control officer or the police department shall be authorized to remove said animal from such vehicle and to utilize any reasonable method to effect said removal;

(10)

Expose any known poisonous substance, whether mixed with food or not in such a manner as to [be] ingested by any animal to purposely harm said animal.

(b)

The duly sworn and authorized animal control officer(s) or police officer(s) of the city, may seize or cause to have seized any animal whose owner is found to be in violation of any part of subsection (a) and impound or cause to be impounded such animal in a designated shelter. Such animal shall be held for a period not to exceed five days, and if reasonable corrections are not made by the owner of the animal so that the owner will not be in further violation of said subsection (a) if such animal is returned to him, the animal shall be released to the Mississippi Animal Rescue League. The animal control officer shall designate in writing to the owner what corrections are necessary to bring said owner into compliance with subsection (a) during said five-day period.

(Code 1962, § 5-12; Ord. of 1-10-2000)

State law reference

Cruelty to animals, Miss. Code 1972, §§ 97-41-1—97-41-11.