The City of Muscatine will suspend the first-year registration fee for neutered dogs and cats from March 19 through April 30 to promote pet registration within the city.
The offer does not apply to non-neutered pets, a news release says.
All dogs and cats six months of age or older are required to be registered with the City of Muscatine.
City representatives will be at two upcoming events to facilitate pet registration.
· It Takes A Village Animal Rescue and Resources, along with national nonprofit Petco Love, will host the first of a series of “Promoting Responsible Pet Ownership” events from 1-5 p.m., Saturday at The Salvation Army, 1000 Oregon St., Muscatine. Free canine DAPPv shots will be provided to 250 pets on a first-come, first-serve basis. Micro-chipping will be available.
· The Muscatine Humane Society, 920 S. Houser St., Muscatine, will host a low-cost event for dogs and cats from 3-6 p.m. Friday, April 8, that will include rabies vaccination and micro-chipping on a first-come, first-serve basis.
A pet license runs concurrently with the pet’s rabies vaccination. The pet license is required to be renewed annually with each yearly rabies vaccination. If your pet has received a two- or three -ear vaccination, you must renew your pet license annually or pay the multiple years of license fees at the time of registration, the release says.
It is the responsibility of the owner to present proof the pet being registered is altered. The pet licensing requirement applies to all pets more than six months of age. It excludes owners of seeing-eye dogs or owners who are confined to a wheelchair, the release says. Both are exempt from paying the pet fee; however, they are still required to register their animals with the finance office at City Hall, the release says.
The annual cost of registration for a neutered pet is $5 but the annual fee is reduced to $3 for pet owners ages 65 and older. The fee for non-neutered pets is $25 per year with the annual fee reduced to $15 per year for pet owners ages 65 and older.
The neutered pet first-year fee will be waived if the pet is registered before April 30 with the Department of Finance and Records at Muscatine City Hall, 215 Sycamore St., Muscatine.
The department keeps a registry of all licensed dogs and cats, their breed, color and sex, along with the name and address of the owner, and the number of the license tag. The registry is used to verify compliance with the city code during investigations by the Muscatine Police Department Animal Control Officer.
Neutered pets who receive a two- or three-year rabies inoculation may be registered for two or three years (based on the rabies inoculation received) if the multiple-year fee is paid at the time of registration (i.e., $10 for two-years; $15 for three-years). Multiple-year registrations will receive the first-year discount through April 30 as part of the city’s pet-egistration promotion.
The license will be in effect until the anniversary date of the rabies vaccination of the animal and shall be renewable as determined by the animals’ vaccination schedule.
The city council recently approved revisions of animal regulations. The revised ordinance went into effect Sunday.
For more information on pet licensing, call the Finance Department at 563-264=1550 or visit the Pet Licensing page on the City of Muscatine website.
