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2023 ORDINANCE Page 11 of 19 <br /> <br /> 3. Litters of kittens and puppies, brought in as abandoned, may be disposed of immediately upon <br />custody, at the discretion of the manager. <br /> 4. Animals held for periods prescribed in this section, and not redeemed by the owner, shall <br />become the property of the city. <br /> 5. Animals delivered for impoundment by a peace officer who removed such animal from <br />possession of a person in custody of the peace officer shall be held for the period prescribed in <br />subsection (F)(1) of this section. <br /> <br />G. Impoundment and Disposition of Animals. <br /> 1. Any impounded animal shall be released to the owner upon payment of impoundment, care <br />and license fees unless in the discretion of the manager or the manager’s designee there is an ongoing <br />investigation of a violation of this chapter or state law. The manager or the manager’s designee may <br />release the animal to the owner’s authorized representative; full identification of the owner and their <br />authorized representative must be provided to animal control prior to release. <br /> 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (G)(1) of this section, no impounded animal shall <br />be released to the owner until the owner establishes that any penalties, fines or forfeitures owed by the <br />owner for violation of this chapter have been satisfied. <br /> 3. Any animal held for the prescribed period and not redeemed by its owner, and which is neither <br />dangerous nor unhealthy, may be released for adoption, subject to the following conditions: <br />a. The adoptive owner agrees to furnish proper care to the animal in accord with this chapter; <br />b. Payment of required fees, including any medical care costs incurred during impoundment; <br />and <br />c. All animals will be altered (i.e., spayed or neutered) prior to completion of the adoption <br />process. This includes receipt of all applicable fees. <br /> 4. There are four exceptions to the mandatory spay and neuter requirement. <br />a. The first exception is for unaltered animals that are temporarily housed at the shelter and <br />returned to their owners. <br />b. The second exception is for kittens under eight weeks of age weighing less than two pounds, <br />puppies under six weeks of age, or kittens and puppies who are unhealthy to safely spay and/or neuter. <br />Shelter staff has the option of (i) if shelter space is available, caring for these animals until they can be <br />safely altered; (ii) releasing them to a rescue group as noted in subsection (G)(4)(d) of this section; or (iii) <br />euthanizing them. <br />c. The third exception is for animals that have a medical condition that makes it dangerous to <br />undergo a spay or neuter surgery. These animals will be subject to the same options as outlined in <br />subsection (G)(4)(b) of this section. <br />d. The fourth exception is for unaltered animals that are transported to and adopted out by <br />other agencies. This option may include animals described in subsection (G)(4)(b) and/or (G)(4)(c) of this <br />section. It will be the responsibility of the agency to spay and/or neuter these animals. Unaltered <br />animals will not be released to agencies that do not require the animals to be altered prior to or upon <br />adoption.