§ 4-48. Payment of tax; issuance of license; owners of service dogs exempt from tax.

(a)

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

(b)

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 and obtain a license.

(c)

The minimum license tax under this section shall be on file in the village clerk/treasurer's office for spayed females or neutered males. The minimum tax for unspayed or unneutered animals shall be on file in the village clerk/treasurer's office. These amounts shall be reduced by one-half if the animal became five months of age after July 1 during the license year. The license year shall commence January 1 and end December 31.

(d)

Upon payment of the required license tax and upon presentation of evidence that the dog is currently immunized against rabies, as required by section 4-47, the village clerk/treasurer shall complete and issue to the owner a license for such dog containing all information required by state law. The village clerk/treasurer 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 it is issued and the license year.

(e)

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 4-47(e).

(f)

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 village police officer shall seize, impound or restrain any dog for which a dog license is required which is found without such tag attached.

(g)

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 village clerk/treasurer upon application therefor.

(Code 1989, § 7-1-3(a))