Las Vegas, New Mexico

§ 118-9 Possession, confinement and impoundment of animals.

It is the duty of the animal control officers to take-up and impound in the animal shelter any stray, dangerous, vicious or any animal kept or maintained contrary to this chapter.

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D. No animal that has been impounded by the City will be adopted out for the purpose of breeding or sale. Every dog and cat adopted from the animal control shelter shall be neutered or spayed by a licensed veterinarian and vaccinated in compliance with state statutes. The cost of these activities shall be paid to the City by the person adopting the dog or cat prior to release of the animal. Neutering, spaying and vaccinations will not apply to animals which are less than five months old. If the animal is retrieved by the owner, the owner shall pay all fees and costs associated with housing the animal, including any vaccination fees.

§ 118-18 Licenses for dogs and cats.

A. Any person owning, possessing or harboring any dog five months of age or over shall obtain a license and microchip for such animal. Written application for such license shall be made on such forms as supplied by the City and shall state any information deemed necessary by the City.

A current rabies vaccination certificate shall be presented at the time of the application for license. The license fee (tag, microchip and certificate) for this section shall be $20 for a neutered animal and $25 for an unneutered animal. In the event a tag is lost, replacement tags costing $1 shall be purchased. The license shall expire one year from the date of issuance and may be renewed for one, three or five years.

§ 118-34 Spaying and neutering.

A. No person shall own or harbor within the City municipal boundaries any dog or cat over the age of six months that has not been spayed or neutered unless that person obtains an annual permit from the animal services division to keep an unaltered dog or cat or obtains written verification from a licensed veterinarian that the dog or cat should not be neutered for health reasons.

B. Proof of neutering, if not apparent upon visual inspection, may be made by certificate or receipt from a licensed veterinarian.

C. Proof of unaltered dog or cat permit shall be available upon reasonable demand of an animal services officer or the owner of said animal will be cited for violation of the ordinance and the animal may be impounded.

D. A vasectomy is not an acceptable form of neutering.

§ 118-48.1 Litter permit required.

The owner who unintentionally breeds dogs or cats and does not have a current professional animal care permit for breeding shall pay a litter fee for each litter. An owner shall not advertise, sell, barter, exchange or give away any dog or cat within the municipal boundaries unless the litter fee is paid. Any advertisement for the sale, barter, exchange or give away shall include the litter fee receipt number. An owner shall furnish the litter fee receipt number to any prospective recipient requesting the number. If the owner purchases a breeder permit or provides proof of sterilization of the female animal within 30 days of being cited for violation of this section, such charge shall be dropped. If the owner takes all or part of the litter to the animal control shelter to surrender, a litter permit shall not be required provided that the animal that produced the litter is neutered.

§ 118-48.2 Sale on private property.

It is unlawful to sell or allow the sale of any animal on private property without proper litter permits granted by the city. If a private owner allows for the sale of animals on private property, and the seller does not have litter permits as required by the city, the property owner shall be held liable and fined as set forth in the chapter.