A. No person shall own, keep, or harbor any dog or cat over six (6) months of age within the city of Hardin unless such dog or cat is vaccinated and licensed. (Ord. 2012-09, 11-20-2012)
B. All dogs and cats shall be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, in accordance with the latest "Compendium Of Animal Rabies Prevention And Control" authored by the National Association Of State Public Health Veterinarians and published annually in the journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
C. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended by the compendium. Each owner shall also receive a durable vaccination tag indicating the year in which it was issued.
D. Application for a license must be made within ten (10) days after obtaining a dog or cat over six (6) months of age, except that this requirement will not apply to a nonresident keeping a dog or cat within the city of Hardin for no longer than thirty (30) days.
E. Written application for a dog or cat license shall be made to the city clerk, city of Hardin and shall include the name and address of the owner and the name, breed, color, age, and sex of the dog or cat and such other information as requested. Applicants also shall pay the prescribed licensing fee and provide proof of current rabies vaccination.
F. The licensing period shall be from January 1 until December 31 of each year. License renewal may be applied for within thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date. New residents must apply for a license within ten (10) days of establishing residence.
G. A license shall be issued after payment of the fee and any penalty set by the city council by resolution from time to time.
H. License fees shall be waived for dogs serving the blind or deaf or government owned dogs used for law enforcement. All other licensing provisions shall apply.
I. Upon acceptance of the license application and fee, the city of Hardin shall issue a durable license tag including an identifying number, year of issuance, city, county, and state.
Both rabies and license tags must be attached to the collar of the dog or cat. Tags must be worn at all times and are not transferable. City of Hardin shall maintain a record of all licenses issued, and such records shall be available to city personnel and other law enforcement personnel as needed. (Ord. 2011-10, 7-6-2011)