§ 14-62. Guard dogs.

(a)

Registration.

(1)

Guard dog owners or services shall register all dogs used in their business, whether housed or used in the county, with the department. The registration shall include: name, address and telephone number of the service's manager; the breed, sex, weight, age, color, registration number of the guard dog, and other distinguishing physical features of the dog; a county rabies vaccination and license certificate; and a tag that is highly visible and conspicuously different from ordinary dog tags, as approved and supplied by the department. As a condition to registration, proof of ownership must be presented by either a notarized bill of sale or a notarized affidavit.

(2)

Guard dogs which are newly acquired by guard dog services shall be vaccinated against rabies, if needed, and registered with the department within 72 hours of acquisition.

(3)

The fee for registration of a guard dog with the department shall be established by the board of county commissioners and shall be an annual charge for each individual dog.

(4)

Such registration shall not constitute a waiver of the annual license or other requirements of this article.

(b)

Identification. Each guard dog shall be permanently identified by microchip implantation.

(c)

Reporting requirements. Any person possessing, harboring, keeping or having control or custody of a guard dog shall immediately notify the department when such guard dog:

(1)

Is loose or unconfined;

(2)

Has bitten a human being or attacked another animal; or

(3)

Is sold or given away, or dies. Prior to a guard dog being sold or given away, the owner shall provide the name, address and telephone number of the new owner to the department.

(d)

An inspection shall be required prior to any registration issuance or renewal. The renewal inspection period shall extend from 60 days prior to the end of a current registration period until the last day of the current registration period. Notice of the renewal inspection period, including a description of the scope and criteria of the inspection, shall be provided no later than ten days prior to a renewal inspection period, and any effort to seek review by a competent jurisdiction of the intended inspection must be initiated before the renewal period begins. The renewal inspection shall be unscheduled, and may be conducted at any reasonable hour by any animal control code enforcement officer, who shall act in accordance with the renewal inspection period notice and at a minimum, shall be given access to and the opportunity to investigate the animals, premises and records of the guard dog owner, to determine compliance with F.S. chs. 767 and 828, as may be amended, and this article.

(e)

Unlawful custody. It shall be unlawful for any person to own, harbor, keep, maintain, use or otherwise have custody of any guard dog in the county which has not been vaccinated, registered, and microchipped as provided by this article.

(f)

Transportation of guard dog.

(1)

Any vehicle transporting a guard dog must be clearly marked showing that it is transporting a registered guard dog. A compartment separate from the driver is required which shall allow adequate ventilation for the animal.

(2)

No guard dog shall be transported in the trunk of a car or on open-bed trucks.

(3)

Guard dogs must be muzzled and leashed, or maintained in a proper enclosure, as defined in this article, when not on guard duty at a commercial establishment.

(g)

Requirements for businesses using guard dogs.

(1)

Each business which hires or uses a guard dog must provide proper fencing to keep the guard dog from digging or jumping out, or must otherwise properly confine the animal within a secure enclosure.

(2)

At each appropriate location and entry point, and at 50-foot intervals along the fence perimeter, a sign shall be posted including the words "Guard Dog."

(3)

Entry points shall have a sign posted with the telephone number of the dog's trainer or handler in case of an emergency.

(Ord. No. 17-07, § 1, 2-21-17)