Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana

Sec. 5-7. – Licensing; failure to license.

(a) It shall be the duty of every owner residing in the parish to obtain and retain an annual license for each dog and cat three (3) months of age and older, with the exception of community cats. The license certificate shall include the name and address of the owner, a description of the dog or cat including its breed, color, gender, and date of birth or estimated age, and the year and number of the license tag. The annual license fee shall be five dollars ($5.00) for each spayed or neutered dog or cat and ten dollars ($10.00) for each dog or cat which is not spayed or neutered.

(b) For the purposes of this section, a dog or cat shall be considered spayed or neutered whenever any of the following is applicable:

(1) Upon presentation of a certificate issued by any licensed veterinarian stating that the dog or cat, if female, was made incapable of producing young by spaying by the veterinarian, or, the dog or cat, if male, was made incapable of producing young by neutering by the veterinarian.

(2) Upon examination by a licensed veterinarian any dog or cat, whether male or female, is certified by the veterinarian to be incapable of producing young.

(3) If the dog or cat has been previously licensed as a spayed or neutered dog or cat.

A male dog or cat may be considered neutered if upon examination it has evidence of castration.

Sec. 5-12. – Redemption of impounded animals.

(d) If an impounded animal is not spayed/neutered at the time of redemption and is within the legal stray hold, the owner shall either: 1) elect to have the redeemed animal spayed or neutered at the owner’s expense for a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00); or 2) apply for a hearing with the administrative panel within five (5) days of receiving notice of impoundment to show cause as to why the redeemed animal should not be spayed or neutered as set forth in sections 5-26 and 5-27.

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(j) The owner may be offered the option to pay to have the impounded animal sterilized, licensed, vaccinated, and microchipped in lieu of reclamation fees if the impounded animal was not involved in an incident as described in subsection (g) of this section.

Sec. 5-13. – Adoption of impounded animals.

(d) Every dog or cat adopted from the animal shelter shall be spayed/neutered. Adopted dogs and cats shall only be released to the adopter after the appropriate veterinary services are completed by a licensed veterinarian. Dogs or cats which are temporarily unable to undergo surgery as recommended by a licensed veterinarian may, at the discretion of the animal control manager, be released to a suitable adopter provided the adopter signs a contract in the form prescribed by the division of animal control obligating the owner to have the dog or cat spayed/neutered at a later date.

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(f) For the purposes of this section, a male animal may be considered neutered if upon examination it has evidence of castration.

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(h) Every dog or cat transferred to any animal establishment that is not spayed/neutered at the time of transfer must be spayed/neutered within thirty (30) days of the dog or cat reaching the age of six (6) months. The animal establishment, upon request, shall provide written verification of the completion of the spay/neuter.