The following was keyed by Sharon Bowman of Washington State.
 
WARNING LONG POST FOLLOWS:
 
City of Renton, Washington
 
An Ordinance of the City of Renton, Washington, Amending Chapter 6,
Animals and Fowls at Large, of Title VI (POLICE REGULATIONS), of
Ordinance No. 4260 Entitled "CODE OF GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF
RENTON, WASHINGTON" BY ADDING NEW SECTIONS RELATING TO WILD, EXOTIC
OR VICIOUS ANIMALS.
 
The City Council of the City of Renton, Washington, Do ordain as
follows:
 
SECTION I.  Chapter 6, Animals and Fowls at large, of Title VI
(Police Regulations), of Ordinance No 4260 entitled "Code of General
Ordinance of the City of Washington" is hereby renamed to read as
follows:
 
    Chapter 6:  POSSESSION AND CONTROL OF ANIMALS.
 
SECTION II.  Section 6-6-4 of Chapter 6, Possession and Control of
Animals, of Title VI (Police Regulations), of Ordinance No 4260
entitled "Code of General Ordinance of the City of Renton, Washington"
is hereby amended to read as follows:
 
6-6-4:  DEFINITIONS:  For the purpose of this Chapter the following
definitions shall be controlling.
 
A.  ANIMAL:  Any living vertebrate creature, domestic or wild, not
to include birds.
 
B.  ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY:  An entity acting alone or in concert
with other local governmental units for enforcement of the animal
control laws of the City, County and State, and the shelter and
welfare of animals.
 
C. ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER:  Any individual employed, contracted
with, or appointed by the City for the purpose of aiding in the
enforcement of this Chapter or any other law or ordinance relating
to the licensure of animals, or seizure and impoundment of animals,
and includes any State or local law enforcement officer or other
employee whose duties in whole or in part include assignments that
involve the seizure and impoundment of any animal.
 
D. DANGEROUS DOG:  Any dog that, according to the records of
appropiate authority: (a) has inflicted severe injury on a human
being without provcation on public or private property, (b) has
killed a domestic animal without provocation while off the owner's
property, or (c) has been previously found to be potentially
dangerous, the owner having received notice of such and the dog
again aggressively bites, attacks, or endangers the safety of
humans or domestic animals.
 
E.  OWNER:  Any person, firm, corporation, organization, or
department possessing, harboring, keeping, having an interest in,
or having control or custody of an animal.
 
F.  PET:  Pet shall mean any animal kept for pleasure rather than
utility.
 
G.  POTENTIAL DANEROUS DOG:  Any dog that when unprovoked:
(a) inflicts bites on a human or a domestic animal either on public
or private proterty, or (b) chases or approaches a person upon the
streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or
apparent  attitude of attack, or any dog with a known propensity,
tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury, or
to cause injury or otherwise to threaten the safety of humans or
domestic animals.
 
H.  PROPER ENCLOSURE OF A DANGEROUS DOG:  While on the owner's
property, a dangerous dog shall be securely confined indoors or
in a securely enclosed and locked pen or structure, suitable to
prevent the entry of young childern and designed to prevent the
animal from escaping.  Such pen or structure shall have secure sides
and a secure top, and shall also provide protection from the
elements for the dog.
 
I.  SEVERE INJURY:  Any physical injury that results in broken
bones or disfiguring lacerations requiring multiple structures
or cosmetic surgery.
 
J.  VICIOUS ANIMAL:  Any animal or animals that constitude a
physical threat to human beings or other animals not to include
guard dogs.
 
K.  WILD OR EXOTIC ANIMAL:  Any animal of a species or hybird
thereof that in its natural life is wild including but not
limied to:
 
(1)  Alligators and crocodiles
 (2)  Bears (ursidae).  All bears including grizzly bears,
brown bears, black bears, etc.
 (3)  Cat Family (felidae).  All except the commonly accepted
domesticated cats, and including cheetah, cougars, leopards,
lions, lynx, panthers, mountain lions, tigers, wildcats, etc.
 (4)  Dog Family (canidae).  All except domesticated dogs, and
including wolf, fox, coyote, dingo, etc.
 (5)  Porcupine (erethizontidae).
 (6)  Primates (hominif=ddae).  All subhuman primates.
 (7)  Raccoon (prosynnidae).  All raccoons including eastern
raccoons, desert raccoons, ring-tail cat, etc.
 (8)  Skunks
 (9)  Venomous fish and piranha.
 (10) Snakes or lizards not native to Western Washington.
 (11) Weasels (mustelidae).  All including weasels, martins,
wolverines, ferrets, badgers, otters, ermine, mink, mongoose,
etc., except that raising members of this family as a business
for their pelts shall not be prohibited by this ordinance.
 
SECTION III.  Chapter 6, Possession and Control of Animals, of
Title VI (Police Regulations), of Ordinance No 4260 entitled
"Code of General Ordinance of the City of Renton, Washington"
is hereby amended by adding the following sections to read as
follows:
 
6-6-12:  DISPLAY OR EXHIBITION OF WILD, EXOTIC OR VICIOUS ANIMALS:
No persons shall keep or permit to be kept on his premises any wild,
exotic or vicious animal for display or for exhibition purposes,
whether gratuitously or for a fee.  This section shall not be
construed to apply to schools, zoological parks, performing animal
exhibitions, circuses, or veterinary clinics which are properly
licensed by the Federal Government or the State of Washington.
In no case, however, shall such wild or exotic animals be exhibited
or displayed in such a manner that persons other than their handlers
can pet, fondle, or otherwise come in direct physical contact with
such animals.
 
6-6-13:  KEEPING WILD, EXOTIC OR VICIOUS ANIMALS AS A PET.  No
person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild, exotic or vicious
animals as a pet.
 
6-6-14:  NOTICE REQUIRED AT PLACE OF SALE OF A WILD OR EXOTIC
ANIMALS:  Any person who offers for sale a wild or exotic animal
as defined in this Chapter shall post conspicusously at the place
of sale or just by the following notice:
 
"No person may lawfully keep or permit to be kept in the City of
Renton any alligators or crocodiles, bears, any member of the cat
family except for domesticated cats, any member of the dog family
except for domesticated dogs, porcupine, primate, raccoon, skunk,
vicious fish or piranha, snakes or lizards not native to Western
Washington, weasels, martins, wolverines, ferrets, badgers, otters,
ermine, mink, mongoose or other animal which can normally be
found in their natural life as a wild animal."
 
ALTERNATE SECTION:   SALE OF WILD, EXOTIC OR VICIOUS ANIMALS
PROHIBITED:  It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, offer
for sale, barter, give away, keep, or purchase any wild, exotic
or vicious animal as difined in this chapter except for an
animal shelter, zoological park, veterinary hospital, humane
society shelter, public laboratory, circus, or facility for
education or scientific purposes which may keep an animal from
escaping or injuring the public are provided.  It shall also be
unlawful for any person to keep an animal of a species prohibited
or protected by Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations or
by any regulation or law of the State of Washington.
 
SECTION IV.  This Ordinance shall be effective upon its passage,
approval, and thiry days after publication.
 
[end of rough draft, proposed ordinance]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0249]