A. License And Registration: All dogs and cats over six (6) months of age kept, harbored, owned, or in any way possessed by any person within the city shall be annually licensed and registered by no later than February 15 of each year.
B. Fees: Dog and cat licenses shall be issued by the city clerk, the police department, or an entity authorized by the city council to issue dog or cat licenses, upon payment of a license fee as established by the city's fee schedule annually for each dog and cat, except that the license fee for a neutered, spayed or desexed dog or cat shall be as established by the city's fee schedule annually.
C. Application: The owner shall state at the time application is made for such license, upon printed forms provided for such purposes, their name and address and the breed, color and sex of the animal, date of rabies inoculation of the animal and whether or not the animal is neutered, spayed or desexed.
D. Rabies Inoculation Required: All dogs or cats which are licensed by the city of Moorhead shall be inoculated against rabies. The police department may request that an owner provide proof that an animal has been inoculated for rabies. In the event that an owner is unable to provide proof of inoculation the animal's license shall be canceled.
E. License Evidence: No license for a neutered, spayed or desexed dog or cat shall be issued unless satisfactory evidence of neutering, spaying or desexing is confirmed by a qualified veterinarian verbally or in writing.
F. Exemptions: The licensing provisions of this section shall not apply where the owners are nonresidents temporarily within the city, nor where dogs or cats are brought into the city for the purpose of participation in any dog or cat show, nor to dogs properly trained to assist blind or deaf persons when such dogs are actually being used by blind or deaf persons for the purpose of aiding them in going from place to place nor to dogs being used in law enforcement except any of the above animals shall be required to have their rabies inoculation.
G. Term Of License: The license herein provided for shall be in force from the date thereof until January 1 thereafter.
H. Presumption Of Ownership Of Dogs Or Cats: Licensing and registration of a dog or cat with the City shall establish a presumption that, at the time the dog or cat is licensed and registered, the owner of the dog or cat is the person receiving the license and listed on the registration. (Ord. 2008-23, 11-24-2008)