Animal Control officers enforce city animal ordinances pertaining to pet ownership, respond on animal complaints, investigate animal bites and take lost pet reports from residents.

Animal-Inflicted Injuries should be reported immediately. If possible, confine the animal first and then call the Police Department. Info you will need to give dispatch: Address and location of where the animal can be found. Describe the breed, size, color, and any distinct markings on the animal. Where it may live and if it's wearing a collar or tag. The Animal Control Officer will be dispatched to your location to complete an animal bite report.

Animal Welfare - Report Abuse if you believe an animal is being neglected, mistreated or abused. You will need to provide the correct address, the description of the animal(s) and the details of the complaint.
 
Clinton Code for Animal Control  (Partial listing):

Sec. 6-2. Cruelty to animals.
Any person who shall, within the city, overdrive, overload, ill-treat, torture, torment, or unnecessarily or cruelly whip, beat, or needlessly mutilate or kill, or cause or procure such treatment for any animal, in each and every instance, shall be deemed guilty of an offense.

Sec. 6-3. Impoundment for observation.
Any animal that bites a person or other animal shall be quarantined for observation for ten days if so ordered by the city. During quarantine the animal shall be securely confined and kept from contact with any other animal. At the discretion of the city, the quarantine may be on the premises of the owner. If the city requires other confinement, the owner shall surrender the animal for the quarantine period to an animal shelter or shall, at his own expense, place it in a veterinary hospital. If the owner is not found or the animal is not claimed, then the city will pay all costs in the interest of the health and welfare of the city. Any unclaimed or disowned animal for which the city has to pay the cost of hospitalization, will be disposed of after the ten-day observation period by euthanasia, unless someone wishes to pay all costs and redeem the animal.

Sec. 6-6. Code enforcement officer.
The position of animal control officer is designated as code enforcement officer. The code enforcement officer shall have all of the authority as set forth in this chapter. In addition, the code enforcement officer is hereby authorized to issue summonses directing the individual to appear in municipal court, for violations actually observed and occurring in the presence of the code enforcement officer, of the sections set forth herein. The code enforcement officer is not authorized to make arrests, unless the officer is POST-certified, or given any authority not specifically designated herein or designated in this chapter. Sec. 6-7. Nuisances.

Sec. 6-7. Nuisances.
No owner shall fail to exercise proper control and care of his animals to prevent them from becoming a public nuisance. Excessive, continuous or untimely barking or crying, molesting passersby, chasing vehicles, habitually attacking other animals, trespassing upon school grounds, or trespassing upon any public or private property in such a manner as to damage, shall be deemed a nuisance.

Sec. 6-8. Dangerous animals.
(a)  It shall be unlawful to keep or harbor or to permit to be kept or harbored any dangerous animal within the city except as provided in subsection (c) of this section.

(b)  For the purpose of this article, the term "dangerous animal" means:

(1)  Poisonous reptiles.

(2)  Wild animals inherently or potentially dangerous including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, bears, leopards, ocelots, jaguars, cheetahs, margays, cougars, lynxes, bobcats, hyenas, wolves, coyotes, crocodiles, and alligators.

(3)  Any animal having killed or attacked and injured, without provocation, any person or other animal.

(c)  Dangerous animals may be kept by a properly licensed and maintained zoological park, research laboratory, scientific institution, veterinary hospital, circus or by the state department of conservation. 

Sec. 6-37. Running at large prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat to let it run at large, whether licensed or not, at any time, within the city. Any dog or cat found to be running at large shall be impounded by the city.

Sec. 6-38. Dangerous dogs or cats.
(a)  It shall be unlawful for any person to keep and harbor within the city any dangerous dog or cat, as defined in subsection (b) of this section, or permit the same to be or run at large upon any public street, sidewalk or thoroughfare, or on the premises of persons other than the owner or keeper, within this city.

(b)  Any dog or cat with the following characteristics shall be classified as dangerous:

(1)  Any dog or cat which has inflicted a severe or fatal injury on a human being on public or private property. The term "severe injury" means any physical injury, resulting directly from a dog or cat's bite, which results in broken bones, or lacerations requiring stitches, or in-patient hospitalization. The victim receiving severe injuries, as defined above, must provide the supervisor of animal control a signed physician's statement documenting injury and treatment qualifying such as a severe injury or sign an authorization for release of such statement.

(2)  Any dog or cat which has killed a domestic animal, livestock, or poultry, without provocation, while off the owner's property.

(3)  Any dog or cat owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of dog or cat fighting or any dog or cat trained for fighting.

(4)  Any dog or cat which has bitten a human being, without provocation, on public or private property other than the property of the owner.

(5)  Any dog or cat which, while on the owner's property, has bitten a human being other than the owner or a member of the owner's family who is under the age of 14 years and normally resides at the place where the dog or cat is kept.

(6)  Any dog or cat which, when unprovoked, chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds, or private property other than that property of the owner, in a menacing fashion or apparent attitudes of attack, regardless of whether or not a person is injured by such dog or cat.

(7)  Any dog or cat with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury, or to otherwise threaten the safety of human beings or domestic animals.

Sec. 6-39. Confinement while in heat.
(a)  Every female dog or cat in heat shall be confined in a building or secure enclosure in such manner as the female dog or cat cannot come into contact with another animal, except for planned breeding.

(b)  If the owner or possessor of any female dog or cat shall permit her to run at large while in heat, he shall be deemed guilty of an offense, and upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to penalties as provided in section 1-13. It is hereby made the duty of the animal control officer and police officers of the city to impound and keep any female dog or cat seized for as long as she is in heat. The female dog or cat may be released to its owner if proper provision has been made by the owner for restraining the female dog or cat from running at large during its heat and the owner has paid all impoundment and board fees.

Sec. 6-40. Impoundment; release; fees.
(a)  Any dog or cat of vicious habits, or which causes injury to any person or animal, or which habitually chases vehicles, or which by its own runs at large, may be impounded by the animal control officer or police officers of the city.

(b)  Any dog or cat so impounded shall be held by the city for a period of not less than five business days before such dog or cat is euthanized or offered for adoption. A business day shall be considered Monday through Friday, except days that the city hall is closed for business due to an observed holiday.

(c)  If the owner of a dog or cat so impounded can be ascertained, the owner shall be notified by telephone or mail by the animal control officer as soon as possible after impoundment.

(d)  The owner of any dog or cat so impounded may redeem the animal upon payment of a $10.00 impoundment fee and a boarding fee as provided in the city fee schedule, and the payment of any veterinarian fees for treatment and/or rabies vaccination.

(e)  Any dog or cat so impounded and not redeemed by its owner may be adopted, provided the animal is sterilized and vaccinated by a veterinarian and the adopting party pays a veterinarian for the sterilization and vaccination.

(f)  Adoption fees for unredeemed animals shall be as provided in the city fee schedule. The fee shall include rabies vaccination, spay/neuter procedure, microchip with lifetime registration, and basic three-way vaccination. The city administrator may authorize lower adoption fees at certain times in order to assist with decreasing the number of animals in the shelter.

Sec. 6-41. Vaccination required.
Owners of dogs and cats in the city shall have them vaccinated for rabies by a veterinarian and shall securely fasten the vaccination tag to a collar, which must be worn at all times by the dog or cat.

Sec. 6-42. Keeping any habitually noisy dog or cat prohibited.
No person shall keep or harbor a dog or cat which habitually barks or cries between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.