“Abatement” means the termination of any violation of this title by lawful and reasonable means as determined by the authorized City of Snohomish Animal Control Officer in order that a person or persons presumed to be the owner of an animal comply with this title.

“Adult dog or cat” means any dog or cat over the age of six months.

“Altered” means sexually neutered, medically determined to be incapable of reproduction, or when the physical condition of an animal is certified by a licensed veterinarian to be unreproductive.

“Animal” means any live vertebrate and invertebrate creature, reptile, amphibian, or bird, except man.

“At large” means any animal off the property of its owner, unless restrained by leash, tether, or other physical control device not to exceed eight feet in length, and under the physical control of a responsible person, whether or not the owner of such animal, or which enters upon the property of another person without authorization of that person, shall be deemed at large.

“Animal Control Authority” means an entity acting alone or in connection with other local governmental units for enforcement of the animal control laws of the City, county, and state, and the shelter and welfare of animals.

“Animal Control Officer” means any individual employed, contracted with, or appointed by the Animal Control Authority for the purpose of aiding in the enforcement of this chapter or any other law or ordinance relating to the licensure of animals, control of animals, or seizure and impoundment of animals, and includes any state or local law enforcement officer or other employee whose duties in whole or in part include assignments that involve the seizure and impoundment of any animal.

“Animal Exhibition” means public display of any living animal in the promotion of entertainment, education, advertisement, or any commercial enterprise.

“Kennel or Cattery.” The two types of kennels or catteries are defined as follows:

“Dangerous dog” means any dog that according to the records of the appropriate authority has (1) inflicted severe injury on a human being without provocation on a public or private property; (2) killed a domestic animal without provocation while off the owner’s property; or (3) 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.

“Dog handler” means a law enforcement officer who has successfully completed training as prescribed by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission in police dog handling.

“Euthanasia” means the putting to death of an animal in a humane manner.

“Exotic, wild or dangerous animal” means any member of the animal kingdom which is not commonly domesticated or which is not common to North America; or which, irrespective of geographic origin, is of a wild or predatory nature; or any domesticated animal which, because of its size, vicious nature or other similar characteristics, would constitute a danger to human life or property if not kept, maintained, or confined in a safe and secure manner. Incorporated by reference are the definitions contained within the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and the Washington Administrative Code (WAC).

“Fecal Matter” means the solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels.

“Fowl” includes birds such as chicken, or any of several other, usually ground feeding, domestic or game birds including, but not limited to duck, goose, peacock, turkey, or pheasant.

“Harboring” means allowing any animal to remain, be lodged, fed, or sheltered on the property one owns, occupies, or controls for more than twenty-four hours.

“Hearing Officer/Examiner” means the individual that will hear appeals of the orders issued by the Animal Control Authority during the performance of enforcing the City of Snohomish Animal Control Code.

“License” means a tag that shall be purchased from the City of Snohomish that contains a license number and the year for which the tag was issued.

“Litter” means the number of young under six (6) months of age brought forth at birth.

“Livestock” includes horses, mules, jackasses, cattle, sheep, llamas, goats, swine, and all ratites, which includes, but is not limited to, emus and ostriches.

“Micro-chipping” means the implantation of an identification microchip or similar electronic identification device to establish the identity of an individual animal.

“Owner” means any person or legal entity having a possessory property right in an animal or who harbors, cares for, exercises control over, or knowingly permits any animal to remain on premises occupied by them.

“Police dog” means a dog used by a law enforcement agency specially trained for law enforcement work and under the control of a dog handler.

“Potentially dangerous dog” means:

“Proper enclosure of a potentially dangerous or dangerous dog” means, while on the owner’s property, a potentially dangerous or dangerous dog shall be securely confined indoors or in a securely enclosed and locked pen or structure, suitable to prevent the entry of young children, and designed to prevent the animal from escaping. Such pen or structure shall have secure sides and a secure top, and shall also provide protection from the elements for the dog.

“Proper shelter” means a structure with at least four walls, a roof, a floor which is raised off the ground, and a door opening properly shielded from the wind and rain, with size commensurate to the size of the inhabiting animal.

“Quarantine” means the keeping of a biting animal or the suspected biting animal separate and apart from other animals and people for a period of up to fourteen days.”

“Rabies” is an acute viral, infectious, and usually fatal disease of dogs, cats, and other warm-blooded animals, attacking the central nervous system causing inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected animal. Animals infected with rabies may appear sick, crazed, or vicious.

“Sanitary manner” means the method in which the handling of waste is done with regard to cleanliness and precautions against diseases. Fecal waste shall be disposed of by double bagging.

“Service dog/animal” which includes “guide dog,” means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

“Severe injury” means any physical injury that results in broken bones or disfiguring lacerations requiring multiple sutures or cosmetic surgery.

“Sexually neutered” See “Altered.”

“Shelter” means a facility which is maintained expressly for impounded and/or stray animals and that provides the necessary associated services.

“Small animal” means animals which are kept indoors as household pets in aquariums, terrariums, cages, or similar containers including, but not limited to animals such as rabbits, hamsters, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, non-venomous snakes, exotic birds, small non-venomous reptiles and amphibians, and fish.

“Small livestock” includes domesticated animals such as sheep, goat, and swine.

“Valid license” means a current tag from the jurisdiction in which the animal resides.

“Vicious” means acting in an unruly manner or the propensity to do any act which might endanger the safety of any person, animal, or property of another. (Ord. 1915, 1999; Ord. 2100, 2005; Ord. 2193, 2010; Ord. 2266, 2014)