Sec. 14-74. Guard dogs.
The term guard dog shall mean any dog trained or used to protect persons or property by attacking or threatening to attack any person found within the area patrolled by the dog and that is either securely enclosed within that area at all times or under the continuous control of a trained handler. It shall be unlawful for any person to place or maintain guard dogs in any area for the protection of persons or property unless the following are met:
(1) The dogs shall be confined to an enclosed area adequate to ensure they will not escape; or
(2) They shall be under the absolute control of a handler at all times when not securely enclosed; and
(3) The owner or other person in control of the premises upon which a guard dog is maintained shall post warning signs on, over or next to all exterior doors stating that such a dog is on the premises. At least one such sign shall be posted at each driveway or entranceway to the premises. Such signs shall be in lettering clearly visible from either the curb line or a distance of 50 feet, whichever is less, and shall contain a telephone number where some person responsible for controlling such guard dog can be reached 24 hours a day; and
(4) Prior to the placing of a guard dog on any property, the person responsible for the guard dog shall inform the animal protection officer, the police department and the fire department, in writing, of his or her intention to post the dog; the number of dogs to be posted; the location where the dog will be posted; the approximate length of time the dog will be guarding the area; the daily hours the dog will be guarding the area; the breed, sex and age of the dog; and the rabies tag number and the city license number of the dog. Such notice must be renewed every six months. (Code 1979, § 7-25; Ord. No. 2020-55, § 27, 11-2-2020)