New rules for pet licenses in Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) – Chattanooga pet lovers rejoice. Chattanooga City Attorney Wade Hinton said, "What the city council passed last night was an ordinance that was customer friendly and really made it easier for citizens to renew their animal licenses."
New rules by the Chattanooga City Council mean rather than renewing your pet licenses on January first, your license is valid for 12 months from the date of your last rabies vaccine.
Attorneys and animal care experts call that a win. Jamie McAloon works as the Executive Director of the McKamey Animal Center. She said, "Under the old system, you could actually have a license, yet your rabies may not be current for the full year. What this does, it brings the rabies vaccination in compliance with the city tag."
But you still must get your pet protected from rabies every year. McAloon added, "We deal with a lot of dog bites, and believe me it’s a lot easier when we know that animals rabies vaccinated, whether it’s a dog or a cat."
Licensing fees have not changed. Also unchanged is the number of animals you can license in Chattanooga. But the city council could be considering a cap. Hinton said, "It’s too early to speculate about what the Council will consider, but what we will do is look at similarly-sized cities and look at their ordinances and their codes to see what they provide in terms of whether they place limitations on the number of animals or pets that they have or not."
Regardless of how many pets you have, make sure they’re licensed, and not just because it’s the law. McAloon said, "When you have a tag on your animal, whether it’s rabies or licensing, that’s a ticket home for that animal, too."
The McKamey Animal Center offers rabies vaccination assistance for those who apply.
Learn more here.
New rules by the Chattanooga City Council mean rather than renewing your pet licenses on January first, your license is valid for 12 months from the date of your last rabies vaccine.
Attorneys and animal care experts call that a win. Jamie McAloon works as the Executive Director of the McKamey Animal Center. She said, "Under the old system, you could actually have a license, yet your rabies may not be current for the full year. What this does, it brings the rabies vaccination in compliance with the city tag."
But you still must get your pet protected from rabies every year. McAloon added, "We deal with a lot of dog bites, and believe me it’s a lot easier when we know that animals rabies vaccinated, whether it’s a dog or a cat."
Licensing fees have not changed. Also unchanged is the number of animals you can license in Chattanooga. But the city council could be considering a cap. Hinton said, "It’s too early to speculate about what the Council will consider, but what we will do is look at similarly-sized cities and look at their ordinances and their codes to see what they provide in terms of whether they place limitations on the number of animals or pets that they have or not."
Regardless of how many pets you have, make sure they’re licensed, and not just because it’s the law. McAloon said, "When you have a tag on your animal, whether it’s rabies or licensing, that’s a ticket home for that animal, too."
The McKamey Animal Center offers rabies vaccination assistance for those who apply.
Learn more here.
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