Meridian Code of Ordinances § 6-1 Definitions.
Sec. 6-1. - Definitions.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
Animal means any live, vertebrate creature, domestic or wild, except homo sapiens.
Animal control division means the review and enforcement authority under the supervision of the police department empowered to administer this chapter.
Animal control officer means any person designated by the city as a law enforcement or animal control officer who is qualified to perform such duties under the laws of this state.
Animal shelter means any facility operated by a humane society or municipal agency, or its authorized agents, for the purpose of impounding or caring for animals held under the authority of this chapter or state law.
Boarding kennel means any commercial establishment where any dogs, cats or other animals are boarded for a fee.
Feral animal means any domestic animal that has escaped from domestication and become wild, dangerous, or untamed.
For-profit pet breeder means any owner who breeds more than two (2) litters of offspring per year and received monetary compensation for the sale of these offsprings.
Grooming establishment shall mean any commercial establishment at which dogs, cats, or other animals are bathed, groomed, clipped, trimmed or shorn, and where no animals are kept or maintained on the premises overnight.
Owner means any person, partnership, or corporation owning, keeping, or harboring one (1) or more animals. An animal shall be deemed to be "harbored" if it is fed or sheltered.
Performing animal exhibition means any spectacle, display, act, or event, other than a circus, in which performing animals are used.
Pet means any animal kept for pleasure rather than utility.
Pet store means any place of business which sells birds, fish, reptiles or mammals intended for use as pets.
Public nuisance means any animal which:
(1) Damages private or public property;
(2) Barks, whines, screams or howls in an excessive, continuous, or untimely fashion; or
(3) Defecates or frequently urinates on public property or private property of one other than its owner.
(4) Is allowed by its owner to become a nuisance to people or other animals.
Restraint means the condition of securing any animal: by fence, electric boundary, or leash, lead. rope, or chain of not less than twelve (12) feet within the real property limits of its owner; or by tethering in such a way that the animal is within the real property limits of its owner.
Running at large means any animal not under restraint.
Veterinary hospital means any establishment maintained and operated by a licensed veterinarian for surgery, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of animals.
Vicious animal means any animal, except dogs, that constitutes a physical threat to human beings or other animals.
Vicious dog means:
(1) Any dog which has shown a propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or domestic animals.
(2) Any dog which, when unprovoked, (a) bites, inflicts injury, assaults or otherwise attacks a human being or domestic animal on public or private property, or (b) chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks or on any public grounds in a menacing or terrorizing manner or apparent attitude of attack.
(3) Any dog which is owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting or any dog trained for dog fighting.
(4) Notwithstanding the above no dog may be considered a vicious dog if an injury or damage is sustained by a person who, at the time of such injury or damage, was committing a willful trespass or other tort upon the premises occupied by the owner of the dog, or was teasing, tormenting, abusing or assaulting the dog or was committing or attempting to commit a crime. No dog may be considered vicious if an injury or damage was sustained by a domestic animal which, at the time of such injury or damage, was teasing, tormenting, abusing or assaulting the dog. No dog may be considered vicious if the dog was protecting or defending a human being within the immediate vicinity of the dog from an unjustified attack or assault.
Wild animal means any animal which can normally be found in the wild state and is not ordinarily domesticated by man, whether raised in captivity or in the wild.
(Ord. No. 3878, § 1, 8-7-90; Ord. No. 3939, § 1, 7-21-92; Ord. No. 4580, 10-3-23)