A. Dog License Required: It shall be the duty of every owner keeping or maintaining a dog over four (4) months of age within the city, or upon acquiring ownership or possession of any unlicensed dog, or upon establishing residence in the city, to obtain a license and to pay a license fee imposed by the city to the animal control department.
B. License Fee: The license fee shall be determined by the Eloy city council and shall be due and payable prior to the expiration of the previous license or within thirty (30) days of first possession of the dog. No license fees shall be prorated or refunded nor shall the dog tag issued therewith be transferable.
C. License Term: The licensing period shall be one year, or for the length of time indicated on the accompanying vaccination certification, whichever is shorter.
D. Lower Fee For Sterilized Animals: The Eloy city council may set license fees that are lower for dogs permanently incapable of procreation. An applicant for a license of a dog claimed to be incapable of procreation shall furnish adequate proof, satisfactory to the animal control officer, that such dog has been surgically altered to be permanently incapable of procreation.
E. Guide Dogs; Fee Waived: A guide dog belonging to a blind or deaf person who is a resident of the city of Eloy, shall, upon presentation of a certificate of physical impairment and a current certificate of vaccination against rabies for such dog, be licensed pursuant to this chapter without the payment of the license fee.
F. Exceptions To Licensing Requirement: Any person keeping or maintaining a dog within the city shall not be required to obtain a license for said animal if the dog has a valid license from another city, county or state and has a rabies vaccination certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian showing that the vaccination is effective for at least the period for which it shall be kept within the city limits of the city of Eloy. If the dog remains in the city more than ninety (90) days the owner must obtain a city license.
G. Issuance Of Receipt For License Fee: Upon the payment of the license fee, the animal control officer shall execute a receipt in duplicate. The receipt shall contain the name and address of the owner of the dog, the date of vaccination of the dog against rabies, the manufacturer of the rabies vaccine used, the series number of the vaccine used, the description of the dog, including the name, breed, age, color and sex. The animal control officer shall deliver the duplicate receipt to the person who pays the fee and retain the original. The animal control officer shall obtain a sufficient number of metal dog tags which shall be inscribed with the name of the city, the number of the license and the year for which it is valid, and shall deliver one such tag to the person when the license fee is paid.
H. Collar, Harness And Tag Required: Any dog over the age of four (4) months shall wear a collar or harness to which a valid license tag is affixed by a permanent metal fastener. The tag shall be affixed in such manner so that it may be easily seen by the animal control officer.
I. Exceptions To Collar Or Harness Requirement: It shall be the duty of the owner to see that the license tag is constantly worn by the dog. Any animal subject to licensing under this chapter found without a license tag identifying its owner shall be deemed unowned. The following dogs need not wear a collar or harness with a valid license tag:
1. Dogs while being used for control of livestock or while being used or trained for hunting.
2. Dogs while being exhibited or trained at a kennel club event.
3. Dogs while engaged in races approved by the Arizona racing commission.
4. All animals while being transported to and from such events as set forth above.
J. Noncompliance; Violations: Any person who fails to obtain a license for a dog required to be licensed, or counterfeits or attempts to counterfeit an official license tag, or removes such a tag from any dog for the purpose of intentional and malicious mischief or places a license tag upon a dog which has been issued to a different dog is guilty of a violation of this chapter.
K. Replacing Lost Tag With Duplicate: In the event that the metallic license tag issued for a dog shall be lost, the owner may obtain a duplicate tag upon the payment of a fee to be determined by the Eloy city council. (Ord. 05-590, 5-23-2005)