§ 4-191. Neglected or abandoned animals; injured animals.

(a)

Neglect or abandonment prohibited.

(1)

No person may abandon any animal.

(2)

Any law enforcement officer may remove, shelter and care for an animal found to be cruelly exposed to the weather, starved or denied adequate water, neglected, abandoned or otherwise treated in a cruel manner and may deliver such animal to another person to be sheltered, cared for and given medical attention, if necessary. In all cases the owner, if known, shall be immediately notified and such officer or other person having possession of the animal shall have a lien thereon for its care, keeping and medical attention and the expense of notice.

(3)

If the owner or custodian is unknown and cannot, with reasonable effort, be ascertained or does not, within five days after notice, redeem the animal by paying the expenses incurred, the animal may be treated as a stray and dealt with as such.

(4)

Whenever in the opinion of any such officer an animal is hopelessly injured or diseased so as to be beyond the probability of recovery, it shall be lawful for such officer to kill such animal and the owner thereof shall not recover damages for the killing of such animal unless he shall prove that such killing was unwarranted.

(5)

Wis. Stats. § 951.16, investigation of cruelty complaints, and Wis. Stats. § 951.16, expenses of investigation, are hereby adopted by reference and made a part of this chapter.

(b)

Injured animals. No person who owns, harbors or keeps any animal shall fail to provide proper medical attention to such animal when and if such animal becomes sick or injured. In the event the owner of such animal cannot be located, the village or any animal control agency with whom the village has an agreement or contract shall have the authority to take custody of such animal for the purpose of providing medical treatment, and the owner thereof shall reimburse the person or organization for the costs of such treatment.

(Code 1989, § 7-1-17)

State law reference

Abandoning animals, Wis. Stats. § 951.15.