<div class="chunk-title">Sec. 14-1. - Definitions.</div>
<div class="chunk-content">
            <p class="p0">
               For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall apply:
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Adequate food</span> means the provision at suitable intervals, not to exceed 24 hours, of a quantity
               of wholesome foodstuff suitable for the species and age, sufficient to maintain a
               reasonable level of nutrition for the animal.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Adequate shelter</span> means provision of and access to shelter that is suitable for the species, age, condition,
               size, and type of each animal; provides adequate space for each animal; is safe and
               protects each animal from injury, rain, sleet, snow, hail, direct sunlight, the adverse
               effects of heat or cold, physical suffering, and impairment of health; is properly
               cleaned; enables each animal to be clean and dry, provides a solid surface, resting
               platform, that is large enough for the animal to lie on in a normal manner and can
               be maintained in a sanitary manner.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Adequate water</span> means access at suitable intervals to a supply of clean, fresh water provided in
               clean, durable receptacles that are accessible to each animal and are placed so as
               to minimize contamination of the water by excrement and pests or an alternative source
               of hydration consistent with generally accepted husbandry practices.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Adult</span> means a person 18 years of age or older who has not been judicially declared incompetent.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Ambient temperature</span> means the temperature surrounding the animal.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal</span> means every living creature, domestic or nondomestic, but does not include humans
               and does not include invertebrates.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal bite</span> means an animal bite occurs when the teeth of the biting animal breaks the skin of
               a human being, regardless of location of the bite on the body.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal control officers</span> means any animal control officer employed by the jurisdiction.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal control supervisor</span> means the officer placed in supervision of the animal control officers, activities
               of the jurisdiction.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal control unit</span> means the animal control component of the department that includes the animal control
               function for the jurisdiction, however denominated.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal cruelty investigators</span> means all persons appointed by the board of county commissioners as county animal
               cruelty investigators under G.S. chapter 19A.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Animal shelter</span> means the animal shelter, or any other designated facilities, operated and maintained
               by Halifax County for the purpose of impounding animals under the authority of this
               chapter or the general statutes for care, confinement, return to owner, adoption or
               euthanasia.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Cat</span> means a domestic feline of either sex.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Competent person</span> means a person of suitable age and discretion to keep an animal under sufficient
               control in order to prevent harm to the animal, humans, other animals or property.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">County</span> means Halifax County exclusive of territory under the jurisdiction of municipalities.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Dangerous/potentially dangerous dog</span> means any animal whose behavior constitutes a risk of severely injuring or killing
               a human or domestic animal or which, by nature, is commonly accepted as dangerous.
               The following criteria shall be used in identifying a "dangerous dog":
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (1)
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  A dog that, without provocation, has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person.
                  Any dog which has killed a person shall be immediately euthanized by the animal control
                  unit.
                  </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (2)
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  Any dog owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting, or
                  any dog trained for dog fighting.
                  </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (3)
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  A dog that is determined by the person or board designated by the county or municipal
                  authority responsible for animal control to be "potentially dangerous" because the
                  dog has engaged in one or more behaviors listed below. The following criteria shall
                  be used in identifying a "potentially dangerous dog":
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="incr2">
                  a.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content3">
                  A dog that has inflicted a bite on a person that resulted in broken bones, disfiguring
                  lacerations, or requiring surgery or hospitalization.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="incr2">
                  b.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content3">
                  A dog that has killed or inflicted severe injury upon a domestic animal when not on
                  the owner's real property.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="incr2">
                  c.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content3">
                  A dog that has approached a person when not on the owner's property in a vicious or
                  terrorizing manner in an apparent attitude of attack.
                  </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (4)
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  An animal shall not be deemed dangerous solely because it bites, attacks, or menaces:
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="incr2">
                  a.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content3">
                  Anyone assaulting the owner or trespassing on the owner's property;
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="incr2">
                  b.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content3">
                  Any person or other animal that has tormented or abused it; or
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="incr2">
                  c.
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content3">
                  While protecting or defending its young.
                  </p>
               		
               
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Day</span> means a period of 24 hours, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Department</span> means the Halifax County Department of Health.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Dog</span> means a domestic canine of either sex.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Domesticated</span> means any animal kept, cared for, sheltered, fed, or harbored for use as a pet, labor,
               or as a source of food or income.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Exotic animals</span> means wild predatory carnivorous animals including, but not limited to: bobcats,
               lions, tigers, cougars, lynxes, ocelots, and hybrids thereof.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Exposed to rabies</span> means any animal or human bitten by or exposed to the saliva or neural tissue of
               any animal known or suspected to have been infected with rabies.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Euthanize</span> means to cause painless death.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Fence</span> means any enclosed area of sufficient height and fabric to securely confine a pet.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Health director</span> means the director of the Halifax County Department of Health.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Humanely clean conditions</span> means that carcasses, debris, food waste and excrement are removed from the primary
               enclosure with sufficient frequency to minimize the animals' contact with the above-mentioned
               contaminants; the primary enclosure is sanitized with sufficient frequency to minimize
               odors and the hazards of disease; and the primary enclosure is cleaned so as to prevent
               the animals confined therein from being directly or indirectly sprayed with a stream
               of water, or directly or indirectly exposed to hazardous chemicals or disinfectants.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Hunting dogs</span> means a pack of dogs (two or more) of a breed commonly known to be used for hunting,
               who are kept by an owner/keeper/harborer who possesses a valid hunting license for
               lawful hunting purposes and specifically excluding pit bull type dogs.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Impoundment</span> means the placement of an animal in the custody of the animal control unit or person
               duly authorized by ordinance of the board of county commissioners or by the general
               statutes for such purposes.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Incorporated area</span> means property within the cities of Enfield, Halifax, Hobgood, Littleton, Roanoke
               Rapids, Scotland Neck, or Weldon.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Kennel</span> means a commercial establishment wherein any person buys, sells, boards, breeds,
               grooms, lets for hire, or trains dogs.
               </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.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Owner/keeper/harborer</span> means any person, group of persons, firm, partnership, corporation, organization,
               or association, owning, keeping, or harboring, or any person having charge of sheltering,
               feeding, or taking care of and animal for seven or more consecutive days an animal
               unless such animal is being boarded for a fee. The owner/keeper/harborer is responsible
               for the care, actions and behavior of his/her animals.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Owner's real property</span> means any real property owned or leased by the owner of the animal, but does not
               include any public right-of-way or common area.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Penned area</span> means an outside area enclosed by a fence of height and material sufficient to keep
               a dog from escaping the enclosed area. For dogs that weigh less than 30 pounds, the
               enclosed area shall have a minimum enclosed space of not less than six feet by six
               feet, and a height of not less than five feet. For dogs that weigh 30 pounds or more,
               the enclosed area shall have a minimum enclosed space of not less than ten feet by
               ten feet, and a height of not less than six feet. Except for hunting dogs, for each
               additional dog there shall be an additional 50 square feet of space of penned area.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Public nuisance</span> means a public nuisance is that which annoys and disturbs the rights and privileges
               common to the public or to all the people of the community, rendering their ordinary
               use or occupation of their property physically uncomfortable to them, or constituting
               a health hazard to any person.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Secured enclosure</span> means a padlocked pen, with a concrete bottom and a secured top and/or a locked home
               or locked outbuilding with a concrete bottom, all having minimum space of not less
               than ten feet by ten feet and used to contain one dog only.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Security dog</span> means a dog that is trained and certified to attack or otherwise respond aggressively
               with or without command when on owner's real property.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Severe injury</span> means any injury that results in broken bones or lacerations, or requires cosmetic
               surgery or hospitalization.
               </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.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Stray</span> means any dog or cat within the county wandering at large or lost or which does not
               bear evidence of the identification of any owner or any dog or cat within the county
               whose owner, if determinable, has failed to pay for and procure a county license and
               rabies vaccination tag.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Suspected of having rabies</span> means an animal which has bitten or exposed to saliva or neural tissue a person or
               another animal or a wild animal which has bitten a person or domestic animal.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Trespass</span> means trespass means wrongful invasion of the property of the owner.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Unincorporated area</span> means any area of Halifax County not within an "incorporated area" as defined above.
               This term shall also apply to areas within the corporate limits of any town or municipality
               in the county if the governing body of such town or municipality adopts a resolution
               indicating that it is to be treated as an unincorporated area under this chapter.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Vaccination</span> means the administration of rabies vaccine as required by G.S. chapter 130A-185.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Veterinarian consultant</span> means a licensed veterinarian who will provide veterinarian services.
               </p>
            <p class="p0">
               <span class="ital">Wildlife</span> means any non-domesticated native mammal which can normally be found in the wild
               state, particularly those feral, dangerous or nondomestic animals which generally
               do not live in or about the habitation of humans, including, but not limited to, deer,
               lions, racoons, skunks, snakes, squirrels, etc.
               </p>
            <p class="historynote0">
               (Ord. of 1-7-02; Res. of 12-2-19(1), Â§ 1)
               </p></div>