§ 6-63. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Abandon means the act of placing an animal on public property or within a public building, unattended or uncared for, or on or within the private property of another without the express permission of the owner, custodian or tenant of the private property. An animal shall also be considered abandoned when it has been unattended and without adequate food or water for a period in excess of 36 continuous hours regardless of where such animal may be found or kept.

Adequate food means sufficient quantity of non-contaminated and nutritionally healthy sustenance that is sufficient to prevent starvation, malnutrition, or risk to the animal's health. Garbage, spoiled, rancid, or contaminated food is not adequate food.

Adequate water means sufficient quantity of potable water.

Animal control facility means and includes any vehicle, building, structure, pasture, paddock, pond, impoundment area or premises where any animal is kept or housed by the animal control unit for the purpose of impounding or harboring stray, homeless, abandoned, unwanted, neglected or abused animals.

Animal control officer means an employee of the county duly empowered under the legal authority of the county to enforce the rules and regulations of this article.

Animals running at-large means any animal not under immediate control, not on a leash, not at heel, not beside a competent person, not in a vehicle driven or parked, or not confined within the property limits of the animal's owner. Hunting dogs, tracking dogs, and dogs used for agriculture are under the control of the owner when hunting or used with the landowner's permission.

Domestic animal means an animal that, through long association with humans, has been adapted to human living conditions.

Impoundment means the act of taking physical possession and control of an animal by an animal control officer or other officer empowered to act by law and transporting it to the animal control facility.

Owner means any person, firm, corporation, partnership, association, and/or other legal entity, who or which owns, possesses, harbors, keeps, feeds, maintains, or knowingly causes or knowingly permits an animal to be harbored or kept, or has an animal in his care, or who permits an animal to remain on or about his premises. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any adult at whose residence a dangerous animal or potentially dangerous animal is kept or found shall be presumed to be an owner of such animal and shall have the burden of rebutting such presumption. If an animal has more than one owner, any one of such owners may be prosecuted for violations whether or not any other owners are also prosecuted.

Provocation means committing a willful trespass or other tort upon the premises occupied by the owner or possessor of the animal, or teasing, tormenting, or abusing the animal or committing or attempting to commit a crime against a person.

Vicious dog as defined in O.C.G.A. Title 4, Chapter 8.

(Ord. No. 2013-02, §§ 1, 2, 10-7-2013)