(A) Running at large prohibited. It shall be unlawful for the dog or cat of any person who owns, harbors, or keeps a dog or cat, to run at large. A person, who owns, harbors, or keeps a dog or cat which runs at large shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Dogs or cats on a leash and accompanied by a responsible person or accompanied by and under the control and direction of a responsible person, so as to be effectively restrained by command as by leash, shall be permitted in streets or on public land unless the city has posted an area with signs reading “Dogs or Cats Prohibited.”
(B) License required.
(1) All dogs over the age of six months kept, harbored, or maintained by their owners in the city, shall be licensed and registered with the city. Dog licenses shall be issued by the City Clerk upon payment of the license fee as established by § 33.15, as that ordinance may be amended from time to time. The owner shall state, at the time application is made for the license and upon forms provided, his or her name and address and the name, breed, color, and sex of each dog owned or kept by him or her. No license shall be granted for a dog that has not been vaccinated against distemper and rabies, as evidenced by a certificate by a veterinarian qualified to practice in the state in which the dog is vaccinated.
(2) It shall be the duty of each owner of a dog subject to this section to pay to the City Clerk the license fee established in the §
33.15
, as it may be amended from time to time.
(3) Upon payment of the license fee as established by §
33.15
, as it may be amended from time to time, the Clerk shall issue to the owner a license certificate and metallic tag for each dog licensed. The tag shall have stamped on it the year for which it is issued and the number corresponding with the number on the certificate. Every owner shall be required to provide each dog with a collar to which the license tag must be affixed, and shall see that the collar and tag are constantly worn. In case a dog tag is lost or destroyed, a duplicate shall be issued by the City Clerk. A charge shall be made for each duplicate tag in an amount established in §
33.15
, as it may be amended from time to time. Dog tags shall not be transferable from one dog to another and no refunds shall be made on any dog license fee or tag because of death of a dog or the owner's leaving the city before the expiration of the license period.
(4) The licensing provisions of this division (B) shall not apply to dogs whose owners are nonresidents temporarily within the city, nor to dogs brought into the city for the purpose of participating in any dog show. If the animal owned is a service animal which is capable of being properly identified as from a recognized school for seeing eye, hearing ear, service or guide animals, and the owner is a blind or deaf person, or a person with physical or sensory disabilities, then no license shall be required.
(5) The funds received by the City Clerk from all dog licenses and metallic tags fees as established by §
33.15
, as that ordinance may be amended from time to time, shall first be used to defray any costs incidental to the enforcement of this chapter; including, but not restricted to, the costs of licenses, metallic tags, and impounding and maintenance of the dogs.
(C) Cats. Cats shall be included as controlled by this division insofar as running-at-large, pickup, impounding, boarding, licensing and proof of anti-rabies vaccine is concerned. All other provisions of this section shall also apply to cats unless otherwise provided. It is unlawful for any household within city limits to keep and/or care for more than 3 cats, except that a fresh litter of animals may be kept for a period of 6 months.
(D) Vaccination.
(1) All dogs and cats kept harbored, maintained, or transported within the city shall be vaccinated at least once every three years by a licensed veterinarian for:
(a) Rabies - with a live modified vaccine; and
(b) Distemper.
(2) A certificate of vaccination must be kept on which is stated the date of vaccination, owner's name and address, the animal's name (if applicable), sex, description and weight, the type of vaccine, and the veterinarian's signature. Upon demand made by the City Clerk, the Animal Control Officer or a police officer, the owner shall present for examination the required certificate(s) of vaccination for the animal(s). In cases where certificates are not presented, the owner or keeper of the animal(s) shall have seven days in which to present the certificate(s) to the City Clerk or officer. Failure to do so shall be deemed a violation of this section.
(Am. Ord. 339, passed 10-16-2017) Penalty, see § 90.99