Rules change for owners of multiple pets in Chattanooga


              Alda Owen pets her farm service dog Sweet Baby Jo after moving cattle on her farm near Maysville, Mo., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Alda Owen pets her farm service dog Sweet Baby Jo after moving cattle on her farm near Maysville, Mo., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
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The Chattanooga City Council seems likely to approve an ordinance making it easier for pet owners to purchase pet licenses, while requiring owners of four or more pets to buy a "multiple-pet" license.

The council discussed the proposal, sponsored by council members Chris Anderson and Jerry Mitchell, at its Tuesday strategic planning meeting. No objections were raised to the measure, so it seems likely to pass when the full council votes on the proposed change, probably next month.

All current pet licenses expire on Dec. 31, no matter when they are purchased. The ordinance would change that, and instead make the term of any license 12 months from the time they are purchased.

"We just want to make it easier to get a pet license," Anderson explained.

All cat or dog owners whose pets are more than 3 months old are required to get a license. To do so, they must present proof that their pet has a valid rabies shot. If the pet has been spayed or neutered, the fee is $10, but it increases to $50 for pets that have not been spayed or neutered.

Currently, anyone owning between eight and 10 dogs or cats must get a multiple-pet license. The proposed ordinance would lower that number to four or more cats or dogs.

Any Chattanooga resident who owns more than 10 pets theoretically must pay a fee of $100 for 10 to 20 pets and $200 for more than 20. However, no licenses for more than seven pets have been issued, according to Jamie McAloon, executive director of the McKamey Animal Center, which handles the city's pet licensing.

An application form for a pet license that can be printed out and mailed in is available on the center's website, PetLicense.

Contact staff writer Steve Johnson at sjohnson@times freepress.com, 423-757-6673, on Twitter @stevejohnsonTFP and on Facebook, stevejohnsonTFP.

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