375 Main Street

PO Box 179

Port Hood, Nova Scotia

B0E 2W0

Tags for spayed or neutered dogs tags are 10.00 per dog
Tags for unspayed or unneutered dogs are 25.00 per dog

PLEASE send check or Money Order to the address above. and your tag will be returned to you by mail.
Tags may also be purchased at the Municipal office in Port Hood

information required
1. Your Name, Address, Phone number
2. Your Dog/Dogs Breed, Age

BY-LAW 13
BE IT RESOLVED by the Municipal Council of the Municipality of the County of Inverness that By-Law 13, Dogs, be repealed and re-enacted as follows:

1. In this By-Law,
   •  “Clerk” means the Municipal Clerk of the Municipality;
   •  “Dog” means any dog, male or female;
   •  “Owner” of a dog includes any person who possesses, has the care or control of, or harbours a dog and, where the person is a minor, includes a person with the custody of the minor;
   •  “Municipality” means the Municipality of the County of Inverness ;
   •  “Dog Control Officer” means the By-Law enforcement officer appointed by the Council of the Municipality to enforce this By-Law;

1. The Council of the Municipality shall appoint a dog control officer to carry out the duties set out in this By-Law.

1. The Council of the Municipality shall appoint a pound keeper to operate the dog pound facility established within the Municipality, provide food and water for the impounded dogs, keep the pound in a clean and orderly state, and collect fees for the impounding and care of the dogs as set out in this By-Law.

1. (1) On or before the 20th day of January in each year, the owner of any dog shall register such dog with the Clerk, shall pay the tax provided therefore by this By-Law and shall obtain from the Clerk a tag for such dog.
   (2) A dog shall be exempt from registration and from tax if the owner proves that the dog is under the age of 3 months.
   (3) A dog shall be exempt from tax if it is trained and used for the purpose of assisting a person with a disability. Said dogs shall be registered with the Clerk without charge.

1. (1) The owner of a dog who has become the owner thereof after the 20th day of January and which dog is not registered in his/her name with the Clerk, shall within ten days after he/she has become the owner, register the dog and pay the tax, obtain a tag and attach it to the collar of the dog.
   (2) The owner of a dog not registered with the Clerk, which dog has at any time become or is over the age of three months shall immediately register the dog and pay the tax.
   (3) A tax shall be paid at any time after the 20th day of January and shall be the same amount of tax to be paid on or before the 20th day of January.
   (4) Registration made and tax paid after the 20th day of January shall be effective until the 19th day of January of the following year.

1. The tax shall be annually as follows:
   a) For each neutered male or spayed female dog, the annual tax shall be $10.00. Proof of a neutered male or spayed female shall be provided prior to paying the tax for such a dog.
   b) For each dog not neutered or spayed, the annual tax shall be $25.00.

1. The owner of a kennel of pure-bred dogs which is registered in the Canada

Kennel Register may, in any year, pay to the treasurer of the Municipality the sum of $25.00 as a tax upon the kennel for that year, and upon the production of the treasurer's certificate of payment, the owner of such kennel shall be exempt from assessment and any further tax in respect of such dogs for that year.

•  The Clerk shall keep a record of every dog registered, showing the date and number of registration, the name and description of the dog, and the name and address of the owner, which information shall be furnished to the Clerk by the owner at or before the time of registration.

1. The Clerk shall supply the owner with a metal tag for each dog registered, with the number and year of registration stamped thereon, and the owner of every registered dog shall keep on such dog a collar with the tag attached thereto.

1. The tag may be removed temporarily from the dog while the dog is being lawfully used for hunting purposes.
   •  An owner may file with the Clerk a Statutory Declaration that a tag has been lost and the Clerk may replace the tag that has been lost upon payment by the owner of one dollar.
   •  Any owner within the Municipality who sells or transfers a registered dog shall report the sale or transfer to the Clerk, along with the name and address of the person or persons to whom the dog was sold or transferred, a description of the dog and the dog's registration number.

13. The Clerk shall transfer the registration of such dog to the new owner upon payment of the amount by which the tax on the dog to the new owner would exceed any tax paid on the dog that year by the previous owner, or in any other case, without charge.

1. (1) No owner of a dog shall permit the dog to leave the premises of its owner or be at large within the Municipality unless the said dog is on a leash and under the control of someone in charge thereof, and the fact that any dog is permitted to run at large shall constitute an offence against this By-Law.
   (2) It shall not be an offence and a dog shall not be subject to seizure if the

dog is:
a) Participating in an organized hunt, organized dog exhibition or dog field trials;
b) Participating in a search or rescue operation or police operation; or
c) Working on a farm; If, at the time, the dog is under the continuous and effective control of its owner.

1. The owner of a dog:

a) Which runs at large contrary to this By-Law:
b) In respect of which the tax imposed by this By-Law is not paid:
c) Persistently disturbs the quiet of the neighborhood by howling, barking or in any other manner; is guilty of an offence against this By-Law whether or not such dog is chained, muzzled or otherwise restrained, and is subject on conviction to the penalty described in Section 27. In a prosecution pursuant to this section, evidence that one person was disturbed is prima facie proof that the quiet of the neighborhood was disturbed.

FIERCE OR DANGEROUS DOGS

1. (1) A dog is fierce or dangerous within the meaning of this section if it has attacked or bitten a person or domestic animal.

(2) A dog control officer may seize, impound and destroy a dog that is fierce or dangerous within the meaning of subsection (1). Such a dog may be released where the officer is satisfied that, at the time of the attack or biting:
•  The dog was being tormented or abused by the person or animal;
•  The dog was acting in defense of itself or a person; or
•  The dog was acting as a trained guard dog or for law enforcement purposes; and the officer is satisfied that the public safety would not be endangered by failing to impound the dog.

(3) An owner of a fierce and dangerous dog within the meaning of this section commits an offence, and is subject to the penalty prescribed in Section 27 provided that it shall be a defense to a charge under this subsection that:
•  The dog was being tormented or abused by the person or animal;
•  The dog was acting in defense of itself or a person; or
•  The dog was acting as a trained guard dog or for law enforcement purposes.

1. (1) A dog is fierce and dangerous within the meaning of this section where it has a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack, to cause injury to or otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or domestic animals, or where it approaches a person in a vicious or terrorizing manner in an apparent attitude of attack.
   (2) A dog that is fierce or dangerous within the meaning of subsection (1) shall be kept in a fenced area or other enclosure suitable to prevent the dog from escaping, or from attacking or biting a person or animal located outside of the area or enclosure and when such a dog is removed from the said enclosure it shall be securely muzzled and kept under control with a leash.
   (3) A dog that is fierce or dangerous within the meaning of subsection (1) and which is not maintained or controlled in accordance with subsection (2) may be seized, impounded and destroyed by the dog control officer.
   (4) Any person who fails to maintain and control a dog as required by this section commits an offence and is subject to the penalties prescribed in Section 27.

1. (1) The dog control officer, without notice to or complaint against the owner of any dog, may impound and kill or may kill on sight any dog:

•  In respect of which the tax imposed by this By-Law has not been paid;
•  Which, without provocation, has attacked or injured any person or property.

(2) After one warning has been given to the owner of a dog found running at large contrary to this By-Law, the dog control officer may impound and kill or may kill the dog on sight.

(3) It shall be the duty of the dog control officer to take and impound any dog found to be at large within the Municipality.

(4) Any rabid dog or dog at large and known to be rabid shall immediately be killed by the dog control officer.

(5) Any dog deemed to be a danger to the public may be impounded and killed or may be killed on sight.

1. (1) The pound keeper shall check any dog that is impounded for running at large for an identification tag. If such tag is found, the pound keeper shall use the registration number on the tag to obtain the dog's records and shall make at least one attempt to contact the owner of the dog.

(2) If, at the expiration of 72 hours following the impounding of any dog, no claim for ownership is made, the dog shall be disposed of either by selling the dog for the best price obtainable or by destroying the dog in a humane manner.

(3) A person resident in the Municipality purchasing an unregistered impounded dog shall register the dog before removing the dog from the pound.

(4) The proceeds of any sale of an impounded dog shall be paid over to the Clerk.

(5) If the owner claims his/her dog before the time fixed in this section, the dog shall be released to him/her on payment of any tax required by this By-law and on payment of any fees required by Section

(6) This section does not apply to dogs deemed fierce and dangerous pursuant to sections 16, 17 or 18 or which fall within the provisions of section.

20. The dog control officer or pound keeper shall be entitled to receive the following fees: a. For board for each dog impounded, the amount of $20.00 for the first 24-hour period or any portion thereof and the amount of $10.00 for the second 24-hour period or any portion thereof.

1. The Clerk shall immediately notify every person reported to him/her as the owner of an unregistered dog in the Municipality by letter sent by ordinary mail, postage paid and addressed to the owner's address, requesting that the owner register the dog forthwith and comply with this By-Law.

22. Any owner who refuses or neglects to obtain a tag for each dog owned by him/her and to keep the tag securely fixed on his/her dog or who uses the tag on a dog other than that for which it was issued, shall be liable for a penalty not exceeding $100.00.

23. The Clerk shall keep a record of every dog and its owner so reported to him/her by a peace officer, together with a description of the dog if available and the name of the reporting officer.

24. The Clerk may give notice to the owner of any dog to provide to the Clerk, in writing, within 10 days of the notice, a statement of the number of dogs owned by him/her or which are habitually kept on the premises. If the owner fails or refuses to provide the statement, or provides a false statement, he/she shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding $200.00.

25. Every owner shall pay to the Municipality a fee of $20.00 for each dog destroyed by the Municipality at the request of the owner plus mileage at the provincial rate paid to its employees.

26. The Clerk is hereby authorized to issue, give or sign any and all permissions or authorizations required to be given in order to permit the dog control officer to carry out his/her duties.

27. Except as otherwise provided in this By-Law, any person who violates a provision of this By-Law, shall be liable on conviction to a penalty not less than $300.00 and not exceeding $10000.00 dollars and in default of payment, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 60 days.

28. Any person who contravenes any provision to which Section 27 applies may pay the minimum penalty of $300.00 and in respect of any other section the penalty prescribed therein and if the said sum is paid, the person will not be prosecuted for the contravention.

THIS IS TO CERTIFY that the foregoing by-law is a true copy of a by-law duly passed at a duly called meeting of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of the County of Inverness duly held on the 7th day of August A.D., 2001. DEPUTY CLERK