(a)   Every owner of any dog or cat over six months of age shall register with the city clerk his or her name and address with the name, sex and description of each dog and/or cat owned and kept within the city limits of the City of Nortonville.  It shall be unlawful for the owner of any newly acquired dog and/or cat, or any dog or cat brought into the city to fail to register such animal within 30 days from acquisition or brining the dog or cat into the city. 

(b)   Upon registration, the owner shall present a current, completed certificate of immunization against rabies.  No registration shall follow without evidence of this document, and it shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat over six months of age to fail to maintain effective rabies immunization of such dog or cat. 

(c)   The owner or harborer of any dog or cat shall, at the time of registering such dog or cat, present to the clerk certificate from an accredited veterinarian showing that a male dog or cat has been neutered or a female dog or cat has been spayed, if the dog or cat has been neutered or spayed. 

(d)   The city clerk shall issue a lifetime registration for each registered dog or cat.  A lifetime tag shall be issued free of charge for each registered dog or cat.  A replacement tag shall be issued for a replacement fee of $5.00 for each replacement tag. 

(e)   The owner shall be responsible for providing the city with current rabies immunization of such dog or cat at the time of registration and subsequent thereto as long as the dog or cat remains and is kept within the city.

(Code 2005; Code 2016; Ord. 2018-001)

It shall be the duty of the city clerk or designated agent, upon a showing of current rabies immunization and receipt of the registration fee hereinbefore required, to keep in a book suitable for the registration of dog or cats, the time of the registration, the name of the owner or keeper, the number of the registration and the amount paid therefor, and shall deliver to the owner or keeper of the dog or cat a certificate in writing, stating that the person has registered the dog or cat and the number by which the dog or cat is registered, and shall also deliver to the owner or keeper of the dog or cat a tag with the registration number and the registration year thereon, which shall be, by the owner or keeper, attached to the collar to be used on the dog or cat so registered. When any tag has become lost during a registration period, the owner of the dog or cat may request a duplicate tag for the remainder of the registration period. When so requested, the city clerk shall, upon presentation of the registration certificate, issue a duplicate of such tag. It shall be unlawful for any person to take off or remove the city registration tag from any dog or cat belonging to another, or remove the strap or collar on which the same is fastened.

(Code 2005; Code 2016)

It shall be unlawful for any person to place on any dog or cat a tag issued for any other dog or cat or to make or use any false, forged or counterfeited tag or imitation thereof.

(Code 2005; Code 2016)

It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat kept within the city to fail to display a current certificate of immunization against rabies issued by an accredited veterinarian evidencing the vaccination of such dog or cat within two years, when requested by the animal control officer or any law enforcement officer.

(Code 2005; Code 2016)

The provisions of this article with respect to registration shall not apply to any dog or cat owned by any person visiting or temporarily remaining within the city for less than 30 days. However, such dogs or cats shall be kept under restraint by the owner thereof at all times. All other provisions of this chapter, including the prohibition on vicious animals, shall apply at all times.

(Code 2005; Code 2016)

(a)   It shall be unlawful for the owner or harborer of any dog to permit such dog to run at large within the city at any time.

(b)   Any dog running at large within the city shall be impounded as set out in section 2-207;

(c)   The owner of any dog impounded for running at large without the tag required by section 2-202 shall for the first offense, pay a fine as determined by the municipal court, plus the board bill;

(d)   For the first offense of an animal running at large with a tag as required by section 2-202, the owner or harborer claiming any animal, shall, in addition to presenting a registration receipt, pay the cost of the board bill. For a second offense within a one-year period, the owner or harborer shall pay a fine as determined by the municipal court, plus the board bill. For a third and all subsequent offenses within a one-year period, the owner or harborer shall pay a fine as determined by the municipal court, plus the cost of the board bill.

(Code 2005)

(a)   Any dog found in violation of the provisions of this article shall be subject to impoundment by the city.

(b)   A record of all dogs impounded shall be kept by the city containing the following information: color, sex, weight, height, identifying marks, registration number (if any) and the date of impoundment.

(c)   No dog impounded under this section shall be disposed of until after expiration of a minimum of three full business days of custody during which the public has clear access to inspect and recover the dog through time periods ordinarily accepted as usual business hours. During such time of custody, the city shall attempt to notify the owner or custodian of any dog impounded by such facility if the owner or custodian is known or reasonably ascertainable. Such dog may at any time be released to the legal owner, moved to a veterinary hospital for treatment or observation, released in any manner, if such dog was a gift to the animal shelter, or euthanized by a licensed veterinarian if it appears to the veterinarian that the dog is diseased or disabled beyond recovery. If within three full business days the owner does not appear to claim the dog, then the dog may be sold, euthanized or otherwise disposed of.

(d)   If at any time before the sale or destruction of any dog impounded under the provisions of this article, the owner of an impounded dog does appear and redeem the dog, it shall be turned over to the person claiming it upon payment of any impoundment fees or penalties plus the actual costs of impoundment, and shall not apply to any dog alleged as being vicious under section 2-115 or suspected of rabies under section 2-119 of this code.

(e)   The minimum impoundment fee shall be determined by the municipal court.

(f)   Any dog impounded may not be released without a current rabies vaccination.

(g)   Impoundment hereunder shall not preclude any court from imposing and executing any fine which might otherwise be levied under this article for violation of any of the provisions thereof; nor shall impoundment be a defense in any prosecution commenced hereunder.

(h)   The redemption of any dog impounded for a violation of any provision of this chapter shall be prima facie evidence of the violation of such provision by the person redeeming the dog.

(Code 2005)

(a)   If any dog is not redeemed by its owner or harborer within the time allowed for redemption as specified in section 2-207 thereof, the animal control officer, any authorized law enforcement office, any authorized veterinarian or any duly authorized pound personnel may destroy such dog or sell the same for the costs of impoundment and keeping, plus any registration fee due for the current year.

(b)   No dog may be transferred to the permanent custody of a prospective owner unless:

(1)   Such dog has been surgically spayed or neutered before the physical transfer of the dog occurs; or

(2)   the prospective owner signs an agreement to have the dog spayed or neutered and deposits with the city not less than the lowest nor more than the highest cost of spaying or neutering in the community as determined by the city. Any funds deposited pursuant to such an agreement shall be refunded to such person upon presentation of a written statement signed by a licensed veterinarian that the dog has been spayed or neutered. If such person does not reclaim the deposit within six months after receiving custody of the dog the city shall keep the deposit and may reclaim the unspayed or unneutered dog.

(c)   Nothing in this section shall be construed to require sterilization of a dog which is being held by the city and which may be claimed by its rightful owner within the holding period established in section 2-207.

(Code 2005)

Any unspayed female dog in the stage of estrus (heat) shall be confined during such period of time in a house, building or secure enclosure, and the area of enclosure shall be so constructed that no other dog or dogs may gain voluntary access to the confined animal except for purposes of planned breeding. Any animal that is in the state of estrus (heat) and that is not properly confined, or any such animal that is creating a neighborhood nuisance, shall be removed to a boarding kennel, to a veterinary hospital or to the animal shelter. All expenses incurred as a result of the confinement shall be paid by the owner. The owner of animals removed to the animal shelter shall be charged at the rate established from time to time by the animal shelter for routine confinement.

(Code 2005)

Whenever the mayor or police chief shall deem it necessary for the protection and welfare of the inhabitants of the city, he or she shall issue an order requiring all dogs kept within the city to be effectively muzzled for such length of time as may be specified in the order, to prevent them from biting or injuring persons or animals. Such order shall be published in the official newspaper of the city for such period of time as the mayor may deem necessary.

(Code 2016)