Guadalupe, California

§ 6.04.150 Licenses and tags required.

A. Unaltered Animal License for Responsible Owners.

1. Owners of dogs and cats shall act responsibly when considering whether to breed their dog or cat.

a. Spaying or neutering of dogs and cats is recommended.

b. Owners of dogs and cats may purchase an Unaltered Animal License from Santa Barbara County Animal Services if a California licensed veterinarian issues a Veterinary Certificate stating in writing that: The owner has discussed the objectives and purpose for owning the dog or cat with the veterinarian, and after considering the overall circumstances, including the age and health of the animal, the veterinarian concludes that the owner and dog or cat will best be served by authorizing the owner to purchase an Unaltered Animal License.

c. A current Veterinary Certificate is required each time an Unaltered Animal License is purchased.

d. A Veterinary Certificate is valid for either one year or the term of the license, whichever is longer.

2. For every owner in the City who owns a dog or cat over 6 months of age and whose animal does not meet the requirements to purchase an Unaltered Animal License, the owner shall have the dog or cat spayed or neutered.

3. These requirements do not apply to owners of dogs and cats temporarily visiting the city for 30 days or less.

B. Does Not Qualify for an Unaltered Animal License. The following owners of dogs or cats do not qualify for an Unaltered Animal License:

1. Owners of dogs or cats impounded and/or cited at large 3 times within a year.

2. Owners of dogs or cats convicted in California for crimes against animals and/or domestic violence.

3. Dogs whose owners have been found guilty of an infraction under Section 6.04.390 of this chapter after their dog has bitten, attacked, or caused injury to a human being or animal while the dog was running at large.

C. Dog Licenses.

1. It is unlawful to own or have custody of a dog 4 months of age or older unless a Santa Barbara County dog license has been procured.

2. The County shall only issue a dog license after the dog to be licensed has been vaccinated against rabies by a method approved by a licensed veterinarian who shall issue to the owner or person entitled to custody of the dog to be licensed a rabies certificate which shall include information as prescribed by the County veterinarian.

3. Upon payment of the license fee and the presentation of a valid rabies vaccination certificate, the County shall issue a dog license and dog tag to the person paying the license fee. The dog tag shall be securely affixed to the dog and shall remain attached at all times.

4. A County dog license shall be valid for a period not to exceed 3 years and the license period shall not extend beyond the remaining period of validity for the current rabies vaccination.

D. Unaltered Cat Licenses.

1. It is unlawful to own or have custody of an unaltered cat 6 months of age or older unless an Unaltered Animal License has been procured.

2. Upon payment of the license fee and the presentation of a current Veterinary Certificate, the County shall issue an Unaltered Animal License and cat license tag to the person paying the license fee. The cat tag shall be securely affixed to the cat and shall remain attached at all times.

3. An Unaltered Animal License for a cat shall be valid for one year.

E. General.

1. An Unaltered Animal License constitutes a breeders license. The Unaltered Animal License number will be displayed in any advertisements to sell or give away offspring of the animal.

2. For each Unaltered Animal License sold, $10.00 will be deposited into the Animal Services Spay/Neuter Agency Fund to be used for services such as: educational outreach and spay or neuter subsidies.

§ 6.04.290 Spay/neuter compliance for shelter animals.

A. A spay or neuter deposit will be required upon the purchase of any unaltered dog from the City Animal Shelter pursuant to Food and Agriculture Code Section 30503. The deposit will be applied to the spay or neuter surgery of the animal.

B. Any dog sold from the City Animal Shelter shall be spayed or neutered within 30 days of adoption for animals more than 6 months of age. For animals less than 6 months old, they shall be spayed or neutered within 30 days of reaching 6 months of age for females and within 30 days of reaching 8 months of age for males. An extension of time to perform surgery may be granted by the Poundmaster if a veterinarian provides a medical determination that the surgery cannot be performed as scheduled and must be postponed.