<div class="chunk-title">Sec. 10-2. - Definitions.</div>
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            <p class="p0">
               [The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the
               meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates
               a different meaning:]
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal</span> means every vertebrate, nonhuman species of animal, wild or domestic, male or female,
               including, but not limited to dogs, cats, livestock, and other mammals, birds, reptiles,
               amphibians, and fish.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal control officers</span> mean persons properly appointed to pick up, restrain, impound, sell or dispose of
               dogs, cats, or other animals and who are responsible for discharging such other duties
               and functions as may be prescribed by the county board of commissioners by this or
               any other county ordinance or by state law, or pursuant to interlocal agreements executed
               pursuant to<a href="" data-chunk-id="PTIICOOR_CH10AN_ARTIIANCODE_S10-37GEDU" class="section-link" data-product-id="12658"> section 10-37</a>.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal shelter</span> means any facility designated by the county board of commissioners for the purpose
               of impounding and caring for all animals found running at large or otherwise subject
               to impounding in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, ordinances of the
               county, or state law.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Breeder</span> means any person engaged in the commercial business of breeding animals for sale.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Cat</span> means a domestic feline of either sex over six months of age.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">County/city</span> means Cabarrus County exclusive of territory under the jurisdiction of a municipality,
               except where the governing body of the municipality has requested the county to provide
               animal control within the municipality and has adopted the county animal control ordinance.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Dangerous animal</span> means any animal whose behavior constitutes a reasonable risk of injuring a human
               or animal or damaging personal or real property. That behavior includes, but is not
               limited to, an animal biting or attempting to attack a human or another animal. However,
               this definition shall not apply to any animal that has been subjected to provocation
               or if the victim has been trespassing upon the owner's premises.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Day</span> means, for calculation of time passage, a regular workday, exclusive of Saturday,
               Sunday, and county holidays.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Director/supervisor</span> means any use of term "director/supervisor" shall mean the director/supervisor of
               the county animal control department, as designated by the sheriff, which person shall
               have all the powers conferred by state law upon a county dog warden or by this chapter
               upon animal control officers.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Department</span> means the county animal control department, a division of the sheriff's department.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Dog</span> means a domestic canine of either sex over six months of age.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Exposed to rabies</span> means any animal or human bitten by or exposed to any animal known or suspected to
               have been infected with rabies.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Harboring an animal</span> means feeding or sheltering an animal three days or more, unless the animal is being
               boarded for a fee.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Health director</span> means the director of the county health department or a duly authorized agent thereof.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Impound</span> means any animal which is received into custody by any employee or the department.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Inoculation</span> means the vaccination of a dog or cat with antirabic vaccine approved by the United
               States Bureau of Animal Industry, the state department of agriculture, and the state
               board of health at such time as shall be required by state law, the state department
               of environment, health, and natural resources, the commission for health services,
               the state health director, or the local health director as defined in G.S. 130A-186.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Neutered male</span> means any male dog or cat which has been rendered sterile by a surgical procedure
               (orchiectomy).
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Owner</span> means any person, group of persons, firm, organization, association, society, club,
               lodge, partnership, syndicate, trustee, or corporation owning, keeping, having charge
               of, sheltering, feeding, harboring, or taking care of any animal for three or more
               consecutive days unless the animal is boarded for a fee. If a commercial kennel is
               involved for breeding, then ownership shall be indicated by the kennel operator by
               showing the registration of the animal in the name of the actual owner of the animal.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Premises</span> means a definite portion of real estate including land with its appurtenances, a
               building or part of a building.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Provocation</span> means any action designed to goad, inflame, instigate or stimulate an aggressive
               response on the part of an animal, but provocation shall not include any actions on
               the part of an individual that pertain to reasonable efforts to self-defense against
               an unprovoked dangerous animal.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Secure dog fence</span> means a secure dog fence, in addition to requirements subsequently specified under
               "unconfined," requires enclosure on all six sides including the top. The bottom must
               be concrete unless the sides of the fence are buried one foot deep in a hard packed
               soil.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Sheriff</span> means the duly elected sheriff of Cabarrus County.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Spayed female</span> means a female dog or cat which has been rendered sterile by a surgical procedure
               (ovariohysterectomy).
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Unconfined</span> means any dog that is not securely confined indoors or confined in a secure dog fence
               upon the premises of the owner of the dog. The pen or structure must have secure sides
               and a secure top attached to the sides. If the structure has no bottom secured to
               the sides, the sides must be embedded into the ground no less than one foot. All such
               pens or structures must be adequately lighted and kept in a clean and sanitary condition.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Vaccination</span> means the administration of rabies vaccine, as required by article IV.
               
            </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Vicious dog</span> means:
               
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                  (1)
                  
               </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  Any dog with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, to
                  cause injury to, or otherwise threaten the safety of human beings or domestic animals;
                  
               </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (2)
                  
               </p>
               		
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                  Any dog which, because of its vicious propensity, is capable of inflicting serious
                  physical harm or death to humans and which would constitute a danger to human life
                  or property if it were not kept in the manner required by this chapter;
                  
               </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (3)
                  
               </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  Any dog which, without provocation, attacks or bites or has attacked or bitten a human
                  being or domestic animal; or
                  
               </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (4)
                  
               </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  Any dog owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of dogfighting, or
                  any dog trained for dogfighting.
                  
               </p>
               		
               
            
            <p class="historynote0">
               (Ord. of 8-17-92, art. I, Â§ 4; Ord. of 3-19-96, art. I, Â§ 4)
               
            </p>
            <p class="refcross0" block_type="hang"><b>Cross referenceâ€” </b>
               Definitions generally,<a href="" data-chunk-id="PTIICOOR_CH1GEPR_S1-2RUCODE" class="section-link" data-product-id="12658"> Â§ 1-2</a>.
               
            </p></div>