§ 6.079. Humane care required.

(a)

No owner shall fail to provide his or her animal with sufficient and wholesome food and water. The owner is also responsible for providing his or her animal with shelter and protection from the weather at all times, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering or disease, and with humane care and treatment, including sufficient exercise space. The owner of an animal shall provide clean water for the animal in a sufficient quantity to maintain the animal in a healthy condition. Water shall be provided at all times in a stable container which is sized appropriately for the animal's species and breed.

(b)

Pursuant to F.S. § 828.12, no person shall:

(1)

Unnecessarily overload, overdrive, torture, torment, deprive of necessary sustenance or shelter, unnecessarily mutilate, kill, or otherwise abuse any animal or cause, permit or allow, when such allowance is within the control of the person, the same to be done, or carry upon any vehicle or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner.

(2)

No vehicle owner, passenger or operator shall place or confine an animal or allow it to be placed or confined or to remain in an unattended vehicle without sufficient ventilation or under conditions or for such a period of time as may reasonably be expected to endanger the health or well-being of such animal due to heat, lack of water, or such other circumstances as may be expected to cause suffering, disability or death.

(3)

Officers finding an animal under the conditions reference above may rescue such animal from the vehicle following the policy established by Wakulla Animal Services.

(c)

Any person who, as the operator of a motor vehicle, strikes a domesticated animal shall immediately report such incident to any law enforcement agency or to Wakulla Animal Services.

(d)

No person shall under any circumstances tether or otherwise confine any animal in a manner that is injurious to the animal's health, safety and wellbeing. Proper and humane tethering includes, but is not limited to the following:

(1)

Collars used to attach an animal should be comfortable and properly fitted. The uses of choke chains are prohibited, except when an owner is walking or exercising their animal, or when the animal is participating in any organized exhibition or field trial, or is training for these events, or is engaged in a legal sport under competent supervision.

(2)

The tether shall not extend over an object or edge in such a manner that could result in strangulation of or injury to the animal. The length of the tether must be a minimum of ten feet or at least three times the length of the animal measured from the animal's nose to the base of its tail, whichever is greater, unless the tether is being used to secure the animal to the bed of an open vehicle or pick-up truck. Restraints should allow the animal to move about and lie down comfortably. The weight or gauge of any tether or chain shall not be more than one-eighth of the animal's weight. Logging chains and vehicle tow chains are prohibited. No person shall add any weight to an animal collar, harness, chain or tether.

(3)

Tethering of an animal is prohibited during natural disasters such as flood, fires, tornadoes or hurricanes.

(4)

No animal shall be confined to a vacant or abandoned structure.

(Ord. No. 2008-10, § 6.009, 3-11-2008; Ord. No. 2016-12 , § 7, 6-20-2016)