A. Animal control shall quarantine every dog, cat or ferret that bites a person resulting in a break to the skin for 10 days. A police dog that inflicts a bite in the line of duty shall not be quarantined when proof of current rabies vaccination is shown. Animal control may quarantine small mammals that bite a person. Any animal other than a dog, cat, ferret or small mammal that bites a person shall be quarantined and disposed of in accord with the directives of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

B. Quarantine may be on the premises of the owner at the discretion of the animal control officer and if the animal is properly immunized against rabies; otherwise such quarantine will take place in the animal shelter or, at the owner’s expense, in a veterinary hospital. In the case of stray dogs and cats, or if ownership is not known, quarantine shall be at the animal shelter.

C. The owner, upon demand made by an animal control officer, shall forthwith surrender any animal that has bitten a person resulting in a break to the skin, for a supervised quarantine. The animal may be reclaimed by the owner when adjudged to not be shedding rabies at the time of the bite to the person. No person shall fail, intentionally or with criminal negligence, to surrender such an animal for impound upon the demand of the animal control officer. Failure to surrender an animal pursuant to this subsection is a violation.

D. In lieu of quarantine, animals may be euthanized with or without rabies testing in accord with the directives of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. (Ord. 2017-27 § 9, 2017.)