1. Apprehension. The designated animal control agent may apprehend any animal committing or involved in any of the acts defined in this chapter or in any other ordinance as unlawful, which is being subjected to cruel treatment as defined in this chapter.

2. Identification – Notice to owner. After such an animal is apprehended, the animal control agent shall determine whether the animal is licensed, registered or otherwise identifiable, and may return the animal to the owner, and issue a notice of civil violation and/or order to abate pursuant to this chapter. If it is not reasonably possible to immediately return the animal to its owner, or if the animal control agent finds it necessary for the protection of the animal or of the public to keep the animal in custody, the animal control agent shall notify the owner of the animal within a reasonable time by telephone, mail, direct personal contact, by certified mail (receipt requested) or by posting at the residence of the owner that the animal has been impounded and whether and/or how it may be redeemed from a designated city animal custodian.

3. Holding periods. Any unlicensed or unregistered animal impounded pursuant to this chapter shall be held for its owner at least seventy-two hours commencing with apprehension. For licensed or registered animals, such holding period shall be one hundred twenty hours and shall begin upon notification to the owner of such impoundment. If reasonable attempts have been made by the appropriate authority to notify such owner without success, the licensed or registered animal shall be held for at least one hundred twenty hours from the time of apprehension. All impound periods shall continue to run during those hours when a designated city animal custodian's facility is not open for business.

4. Care of impounded animals – Disposition. The staff of a designated city animal custodian may cause to have provided necessary vaccinations against contagious disease to any impounded animals. Any animal not redeemed by its owner during the prescribed period, or which is suffering from serious injury or disease as determined by the person in charge of a designated city animal shelter, may be humanely destroyed, made available for adoption or, in the discretion of such custodian, may be held for a longer period and redeemed by its owner upon payment of reasonable medical fees, license fees if the animal is not currently licensed, impound and holding costs, and other chargeable fees or adopted by any other person not living in the same household as the animal's owner. Dogs and cats made available for adoption shall be spayed or neutered at the expense of the adoptive owner or of the animal shelter at which the dogs or cats are impounded, subject to the animal shelter’s discretion. Should the animal be suffering from serious injury or disease that would endanger the other sheltered animals or cause the animal to endure unnecessary pain and suffering if left untreated for at least twenty-four (24) hours as determined by a licensed veterinarian, or continues to act in a feral manner after a reasonable observation period, the animal may be destroyed or returned to its original location as part of a community cat program prior to the expiration of the required holding period. Such cases shall be documented on the animal custody report. No live animal impounded pursuant to this chapter shall be used, sold or donated for experimentation purposes.

5. Redemption – Denial of redemption – Appeal. The owner of any animal impounded pursuant to the provisions of this chapter may redeem the animal according to the procedures set out in this chapter; provided that, subject to the appeal procedures of this chapter, redemption may be denied to an owner who has cruelly treated an animal as defined in this chapter, to an owner of an animal believed to have engaged in vicious behavior as defined in this title chapter, or to an owner of a dog for which a determination that the dog is a dangerous dog has been issued pursuant to this chapter; and provided, notwithstanding the appeal period set forth in Section 8.24.280.b, that such owner file the appeal from a denial of redemption with the city’s designated animal control agent before closure of business of such office on the second business day following service of the notice of the denial.

6. Police impoundments. Animals delivered for impoundment by the Vancouver police department who have been removed from the possession of a person in custody of the police officer shall be held for not less than one hundred twenty hours. An impoundment receipt shall be given to the police officer who shall deliver such receipt to the person in custody from whom the animal was taken. Impoundment receipts shall recite redemption requirements and shall serve as the notice to the owner required in this chapter.

7. Abandoned animals. The above notification requirement shall not apply to any animal that was abandoned under the provisions of RCW Chapter 16.54. For purposes of this section such an animal shall be deemed to have no owner.

8. Dangerous dogs. The provisions this section shall not apply to dangerous dogs. Section 8.24.166 of this chapter shall control the confiscation and disposition of dangerous dogs. (Ord. M-2727 § 9, 1987: Ord. M-2656 § 17, 1986: Ord. M-2397 § 34, 1983; Ord. M-4188, Amended, 12/19/2016, Sec 6-Effective 1/19/2017; Ord. M-4043, Amended, 02/25/2013, Sec 24 - Effective 03/29/2013)