CITY OF MARSHFIELD PET GUIDE
9.51 DOG AND CAT LICENSING AND REGULATION
(1) Individual Animal Licenses. Every owner of a dog, cat or other animal, except livestock, more than 5 months of age on January 1st of any year shall annually, at the time and in the manner prescribed by law for the payment of personal property taxes, pay his/her dog, cat or animal license tax and obtain the license therefor. Any dog, cat or other animal who becomes 5 months of age after January 1st but before October 1st shall require a license for that year. No such license shall be issued without proof of compliance with the rabies control section of this chapter. The word “owner” when used in this section includes every person who owns, harbors or keeps a dog, cat or other animal.
(3) RABIES CONTROL.
(a) No person shall keep, house, harbor, maintain or permit any dog, cat or other animal over the age of 5 months, except livestock, to be maintained within the corporate limits of the City of Marshfield unless such dog, cat or other animal has been vaccinated against rabies. The owner of any dog, cat or other animal housed, kept, maintained or harbored within the City of Marshfield shall be responsible to insure that the dog, cat or other animal is effectively immunized against rabies at all times.
(9) ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER. The council shall have the authority to employ animal control officers who shall be responsible for enforcing all state statutes and city ordinances pertaining to animal control.
10.33 (5) NOISY ANIMALS
(c) The keeping or harboring of any animal which by frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, crowing, or making of other noises, substantially annoys, disturbs or inconveniences a person living nearby or passing by upon the public streets, alleys or sidewalks.
10.34 RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANIMALS
(1)(a) It shall be unlawful to own, keep, be responsible for or care for a dog, cat or other animal and permit such animal to run at large in the city of Marshfield at any and all times.
(b) The animal shall be deemed to be running at large when found on any of the public streets, alleys, parks, or other public grounds of said City, or when off of the premises of the owner or person having custody and control of such animal unless held in leash.
(c) Any person who allows any such animal owned or cared for by him to defecate on property of another or on any public property shall remove the feces immediately. Public property shall include that area between the sidewalk and curbline.
(d) “Animal” includes every living warm-blooded creature, except a human being.
(2) FEMALE ANIMALS IN SEASON
(a) Any female animal in season shall be kept confined in a building or secure kennel enclosure, veterinary hospital or boarding kennel during the duration of such season.
(3) DANGEROUS ANIMALS
(a) The City of Marshfield animal control officer or any law enforcement officer, may order any dangerous animal, or an animal that has intimidated any person such that said person is unable to use or enjoy his or her own property or public property, to be muzzled, leashed or restrained.
(b) “Dangerous” animal is defined as any animal that has: (1) when unprovoked, bitten a human or domestic animal on public or private property; or (2) when unprovoked, chased or approached a person, including a person on a bicycle, upon the streets, sidewalks or any public or private property, other than the dog owner’s property, in an apparent attitude of attack; or (3) has a known propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, causing injury or otherwise threatening the safety of humans or domestic animals.
(c) The owner or responsible party of any dangerous animal shall keep it securely and properly enclosed on the owner’s premises away from the proximity of sidewalks, paths or alleys. For an animal to be properly enclosed, it must be securely confined indoors with barriers to the animal’s exit, other than window screens or in a locked pen or structure constructed to prevent the animal from escaping.
(d) The owner or responsible party of any dangerous animal shall be muzzled anytime the animal is in the public.
(4) NUISANCE
(a) No person shall keep, own, be responsible for or care for any animal which by frequent, habitual or continued noise, threat of attack and/or biting causes substantial annoyance or substantial inconvenience to persons living nearby or passing by upon the public streets, alleys or sidewalks.
(b) No person shall refuse to deliver up to a law enforcement officer or animal control officer any animal that has been requested under this section because the animal’s behavior caused substantial annoyance or substantial inconvenience to persons living nearby or passing upon the public streets, alleys or sidewalks.
(5) INHUMANE TREATMENT
(a) Standards of treatment: (1) adequate food means sufficient quantity and quality of food to maintain the animal in good health; (2) adequate water means that if potable water is not accessible to the animal at all times, water shall be provided daily and in sufficient quantity for the health of the animal; (3) adequate shelter means natural or artificial shelter appropriate to the local climatic conditions for the species as necessary for the health and safety of the animal.
(b) No person shall beat, torture, cause excessive or unnecessary pain, or unjustifiable injury or death to any domestic or harbored animal.
(c) No owner of any animal or person responsible for the care or confinement of any animal shall fail to provide adequate food, water or shelter to such animal.
(d) No person shall abandon any animal, which they own, keep or harbor.
(e) No person shall fail to deliver up to any law enforcement officer or animal control officer any animal requested due to the animal having been subjected to inadequate care or treatment as set forth in this section.
10.38 HUNTING AND DOGS PROHIBITED
(1)Hunting. No person shall kill, hunt or pursue any game animals or birds with any gun, pistol or other firearms, nor with any airgun, slingshot, bow and arrow, or with dogs, within the corporate limits of City of Marshfield unless specifically permitted pursuant to s.0.02(3).
(2) Pets. No person, except persons with assistance animals as provided in Wis. Stat. 174.056, shall allow dogs or other animals to enter any public building, picnic grounds, play-grounds, athletic facilities, or the zoo within the city park; provided, however, this prohibition shall not apply to personal assistance animals or animals escorted by a police officer or ordinance control officers as provided under Wis. Stat. 174.056. In public areas where pets are permitted, they shall at all times be effectively restrained or under the owner’s control as provided in section 10-34 of this Code. Nonresidents who are patrons of the city-owned camping facilities may have pets, provided they are within the camping section, leashed or in enclosures (Code 1982, 9.18)
No person shall keep any wild animal within the City, except in the zoo facility or as otherwise permitted in this section. For purposes of this section, “wild animal” means any live monkey or other non-human primate, raccoon, skunk, fox, wolf, poisonous snake, leopard, panther, tiger, lynx, any warm-blooded animal normally found in the wild state, or any hybrid mix between a normally domestic animal species and such animals normally found in the wild state.