§ 6-31. Issuance of dog and kennel licenses.

(a)

Dog licenses.

(1)

It shall be unlawful for any person in the town to own, harbor or keep any dog more than five months of age without complying with the provisions of Wis. Stats. §§ 174.05—174.10, relating to the listing, licensing and tagging of the same.

(2)

The owner of any dog more than five months of age on January 1, of any year, or five months of age within the license year, shall annually, or on or before the date the dog becomes five months of age, pay a license tax in the amount established by resolution and obtain a license.

(3)

Upon payment of the required license tax and upon presentation of evidence that the dog is currently immunized against rabies, as required by section 6-30, the town clerk-treasurer or his deputy shall complete and issue to the owner a license for such dog containing all information required by state law. The town clerk-treasurer or his deputy shall also deliver to the owner, at the time of issuance of the license, a tag of durable material bearing the same serial number as the license, the name of the county in which issued and the license year.

(4)

The owner shall securely attach the tag to a collar and the collar with the tag attached shall be kept on the dog for which the license is issued at all times, except as provided in section 6-30(e).

(5)

The fact that a dog is without a tag attached to the dog by means of a collar shall be presumptive evidence that the dog is unlicensed. Any town law enforcement or humane officer shall seize, impound or restrain any dog for which a dog license is required which is found without such tag attached. Each day that any dog within the town continues to be unlicensed constitutes a separate offense for which a separate penalty applies.

(6)

Notwithstanding the foregoing, every dog specifically trained to lead blind or deaf persons is exempt from the dog license tax, and every person owning such a dog shall receive annually a free dog license from the town clerk-treasurer or his deputy upon application therefor.

(b)

Kennel licenses.

(1)

Any person who keeps or operates a kennel may, instead of the license tax for each dog required by this section, apply for a kennel license for the keeping or operating of the kennel. Such person shall pay for the license year a license tax established by resolution. Upon payment of the required kennel license tax and, if required by the town board, upon presentation of evidence that all dogs over five months of age are currently immunized against rabies, the town clerk-treasurer or his deputy shall issue the kennel license and a number of tags equal to the number of dogs authorized to be kept in the kennel. A kennel license may only be issued in a residential-zoned district following issuance of a conditional use permit under chapter 42.

(2)

The owner or keeper of a kennel shall keep at all times a kennel license tag attached to the collar of each dog over five months old kept by the owner or keeper under a kennel license, but this requirement does not apply to a show dog during competition, to a dog securely confined indoors or to a dog securely confined in a fenced area. These tags may be transferred from one dog to another within the kennel whenever any dog is removed from the kennel. The rabies vaccination tag or substitute tag shall remain attached to the dog for which it is issued at all times but this requirement does not apply to a show dog during competition, to a dog securely confined indoors or to a dog securely confined in a fenced area. No dog bearing a kennel tag shall be permitted to stray or to be taken anywhere outside the limits of the kennel, unless the dog is on a leash or temporarily for the purposes of hunting, breeding, trial, training or competition.

(Prior Code, § 7-1-3)

State law reference

Multiple dog licenses, Wis. Stats. § 174.053.