Pet Codes

Sec. 10-71. Vicious Animals

No person shall own or harbor a vicious animal within the city, and any such animal shall be impounded as a public nuisance. If impoundment of such animal cannot be made with safety, the animal may be destroyed by a peace officer or animal control officer without notice to the owner. Any animal which has, on separate occasions, inflicted two or more reported bites and the animal was running at large at the time the incidents occurred shall be deemed vicious and shall be removed from the city within 24 hours following the owner being notified; otherwise, or if the owner be unknown, such animal shall be impounded and destroyed in a humane manner. Any pet animal or livestock which kills or maims another animal or severely injures a person shall be removed from the city within 24 hours following the owner being notified, otherwise, or if such owner be unknown, such animal shall be impounded and destroyed. Any pet animal or livestock which maims or kills a person shall be impounded and destroyed.

(Code 1974, § 3-16)
State law references: Vicious and dangerous dogs, V.T.C.A., Health and Safety Code § 822.001 et seq.

Sec. 10-61. Animals running at large, generally.

It shall be unlawful for any person owning an animal to permit such animal to run at large.
An animal shall be considered to be running at large unless it is restrained under the following circumstances:
- It is securely caged or confined to its owner's home or yard, which yard is enclosed by a fence of sufficient strength and height to prevent the animal from escaping therefrom, or secured on the premises by a chain, leash or other restraining line of sufficient strength to prevent the animal from escaping from the premises and so arranged that the animal will remain upon the premises when the chain, leash or restraining line is stretched to full length. No such chain, leash or restraining line shall be less than ten feet in length.
- It is accompanied by its owner or trainer at a bona fide show, field trial or exhibition.
- It is secured by a leash or rein of sufficient strength to restrain and control the animal.
- It is a guard dog appropriately registered under the provisions of section 10-72 and is in the performance of duty in an enclosed building or securely fenced and locked area marked as provided in section 10-72.
- Any officer or citizen of the city is hereby authorized to take up and deliver to the animal control officer any animal that may be found running at large in the corporate limits of the city.
- Any peace officer or animal control officer of the city is authorized to impound any animal running at large or otherwise found in violation of this chapter. If the animal running at large, or in violation of this chapter, is on private property, or property of the animal's owner, such peace officer or animal control officer may enter such premises, other than a private dwelling, for the purpose of impoundment or the issuance of a citation, or both, subject to the applicable provisions of the law.

(Code 1974, § 3-4)
State law references: Certain dogs prohibited from running at large, V.T.C.A., Health and Safety Code §§ 822.011, 822.042; authority to adopt, V.T.C.A., Health and Safety Code § 826.033.

Sec. 10-65. Animal care.

If the following shall occur, the animal may be impounded and the owner shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter:

The owner shall fail to provide an animal with sufficient and wholesome food and water, adequate shelter and protection from weather, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering, and humane care and treatment.
A person shall beat, cruelly ill treat, torment, abuse, overload, overwork or otherwise harm an animal, or cause, instigate or permit any dog fight, cock fight, bullfight or other combat between animals or between animals and humans.
A person shall abandon or dump any animal.
A person shall willfully wound, trap, maim or cripple by any method any animal, bird or fowl. It shall also be unlawful for a person to kill any animal, bird or fowl, except domesticated fowl considered as general tablefare such as chicken or turkey, within the city.
A person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl, rabbits or hamsters as novelties, whether or not dyed, colored or otherwise artificially treated; provided, however, that this section shall not be construed to prohibit the display or sale of natural chicks, ducklings or other fowl in proper brooder facilities from hatcheries or stores engaged in the business of selling such chicks, ducklings or other fowl to be raised for commercial purposes, or the sale of rabbits or hamsters as pets.
A person shall give away any live animal as a prize for, or as an inducement to enter any contest, game or other competition, or as an inducement to enter into any business agreement except as to the offering of offspring in a breeding transaction.
The failure of a person in operation of a motor vehicle who strikes a pet animal or livestock to immediately report such injury or death to the animal's owner, and if the owner cannot be ascertained and located, such person shall fail to report the accident to an animal control officer or peace officer.
A person exposes any known poisonous substance, whether mixed with food or not, so that such poisonous substance shall be liable to be eaten by a pet animal, livestock or person. This section is not intended to prohibit the prudent use of herbicides, insecticides or rodent control materials. A person shall also not expose an open trap or metal jaw-type trap that shall be liable to injure any pet animal, livestock or person.

(Code 1974, § 3-9)
State law references: Cruelty to animals, V.T.C.A., Penal Code § 42.11.