Animal Control By-Law

Oxford, Nova Scotia · adopted 1984-05-17

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot d796743432f5 · verified 2026-06-05 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

Registration of all Dogs Owner to Register Registration Fee Kennels Dog By-law RESOLVED by the Town Council of the Town of Oxford that the following By-law is hereby enacted and adopted as a By-law of the Town of Oxford and that the Clerk forward it to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and request his approval. DOGS 1. In this By-law, (a) "Clerk" means Town Clerk of the Town; (b) "Dog" means any dog, male or female; (c) "Dog Control Officer" means a town police officer or by-law enforcement officer appointed under the Police Act to enforce this By-law; (d) "Owner" of a dog includes any person who possesses or harbours a dog; (e) "Town" means Town of Oxford. 2. On or before the l't day of May 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. 3. (1) The owner of a dog who has become the owner thereof after the first of May and which dog is not registered in his name with the Clerk, shall within 5 days after he has become owner, register the dog and pay the tax, obtain a tag and attach it to the collar of the dog. (2) A tax paid at any time after the first day of May shall be the same amount of tax required to be paid on or before the first day of May not withstanding that it is for any part of a year; but where the owner acquires ownership of the dog after the expiration of six months of the registration year, he shall only be charged one-half of the dog tax. (3) Registration made and tax paid after the first day of May shall be affective until the last day of December next following the making and payment thereof. 4. The tax shall be annually as follows: (a) for each neutered male or spayed female dog, the annual tax shall be ten dollars ($10.00). Proof of a neutered male or spayed female shall be provided prior to paying the fee for such dog. (b) for each male dog not neutered and each female dog not spayed, the annual tax shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00). 5. The owner of a kennel of pure-bred dogs which is registered in the Canada Kennel Register, in any year, pay to the Treasurer of the Town ten dollars ($10.00) as a tax upon the kennel for that year, and upon the production ofthe Treasurer's certificate of payment, the owner of such kennel shall be exempt from assessment and any Records Tags lost Tag Transfer of Ownership Transfer of Registration Dogs at large Offences further tax in respect of such dogs for that year. 6. The Clerk shall keep a record of every dog registered showing the date and number of registration, and the name and description of the dog with the name and address of the owner. The owner shall furnish this information to the Clerk at or before the time of registration. 7. 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. 8. If an owner files with the Clerk a Statutory Declaration that a tag has been lost, the Clerk may replace the tag that has been lost upon payment by the owner an amount of two dollar ($2.00) 9. Any owner within the Town who sells or transfers any licensed dog shall report to the Clerk the sale or transfer, the name and address to whom it was sold or transferred, a description of the dog and the number of the registration as shown on the tag issued by the Clerk. 10. The Clerk shall transfer the registration of such dog to the new owner thereof on 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. 11. No dog shall be permitted to leave the premises of the owner or be at large within the Town unless the said dog is under the effective restraint or control of some person in charge thereof, and the fact that any dog is running at large shall be an offence against this By­ law. 12. The owner of a dog, (a) which runs at large contrary to this By-law, or (b) in respect of which the tax imposed by this By-law is not paid, or (c) which is fierce or dangerous, or (d) which without provocation, has attacked or injured any person or property, or (e) disturbs the quiet of the neighbourhood by howling, barking or in any other manner. is guilty of an offence against this By-law and is subject on conviction to the penalty described by Section 24. 13. (1) The dog control officer, without notice to or complaint against the owner of any such dog, may impound a dog; (a) found running at large contrary to this By-law; or (b) in respect of which the tax imposed by this By-law has not been paid; or (c) which is fierce or dangerous. Impounding Dogs may be Killed Dogs may be Killed Rabid dogs Pound Keeper Notice to Owner Sale of Impounded Dog Registration of Purchased Dog Redemption of Dog Fees for Impounding Notice to Owner (2) It shall be the duty of a dog control officer of the (Town) to take and impound at the pound provided by the Council for such purpose any dog found at large within the (Town) and it shall be the duty of the poundkeeper to receive and impound such dog and to furnish it with food and water. (3) If any dog runs at large within the (Town) whose present or former owner has been convicted under this By-law by reason or any act of said dog, it may be killed by any policeman or dog control officer of the (Town) without notice to or complaint against the owner. (4) Where a dog cannot be captured or is fierce or dangerous the dog control officer may immediately kill such dog. (5) Any dog rabid or at large and known to be rabid shall be immediately killed. 14. The council shall appoint a poundkeeper who shall keep all dogs delivered to him, and furnish them food and water. 15. (1) If, at the expiration of 48 hours following the impounding of any dog, no claim of ownership for such dog is made, it shall be the duty of the poundkeeper to make all reasonable efforts to notify the owner of such dog and if unable to notify the owner, the poundkeeper shall dispose of the dog, either by selling it for the best price obtainable or ifthe dog cannot be sold by destroying it in a humane manner. (2) A person resident within the (Town) purchasing an unregistered dog from a poundkeeper shall register the dog before taking him from the pound. 16. The proceeds of any sale after deducting the fees of the poundkeeper shall be paid over to the Clerk. 17. If the owner appears and claims his dog before the time fixed by the poundkeeper, the dog shall be delivered to him on payment of any tax required by this By-law and on payment of the fees set out in Schedule 18 (2) 18. (1) The poundkeeper shall be entitled to receive the following fees which, unless recovered under Sections 15 or 17, shall be paid by the Town: (a) for board of each dog, for each 24 hour period and for any portion of a 24 hour period, the sum of Fifteen Dollars ($15.00). (b) on the sale by him of any dog, a commission of 20%; (2) A person or owner claiming an impounded dog shall be liable to pay the following: (a) for impounding a dog the sum of Twenty Five Dollars ($25.00) (b) for room and board, Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) per day or any part of a day but a person purchasing an unclaimed dog shall not be required to pay these fees. 19. The Clerk shall immediately notify every person reported to him as the owner of an unregistered dog in the Town by letter, by ordinary mail, postage paid and addressed to the owners address, Owner's Report Tags to be On Dog Destruction of Dog Penalty Repeal requesting such owner forthwith to register the dog, and to comply with this By-law. 20. The Clerk shall keep a record of every dog and its owner so reported to him together with a description of the dog, if available, and the name of the reporting person. 21. The owner of any dog may be required by the Clerk to deliver to the Clerk, in writing, a statement of the number of dogs owned or harboured by him or which are habitually kept upon the premises and for neglect or refusal to do so, and for every false statement made in respect thereof, he shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding $20.00 22. Every owner who neglects to obtain a tag for each dog owned by him and to keep it securely fixed on his dog excepting while the dog is being lawfully used for hunting purposes, or who uses a tag upon a dog other than that for which it was issued, shall be liable for a penalty not exceeding $10.00. 23. Every owner of a dog shall pay to the Town a fee of thirty dollars plus associated costs for each dog destroyed by the Town at the request of the owner. 24. Any person who violated any provision of this By-law or otherwise commits an offense against this By-law, except as set out in Sections 21 and 22 hereof, shall be liable on conviction to a penalty of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not more than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) and in default of payment to imprisonment for a period not exceeding thirty days. 25. All former By-laws of the Town heretofore enacted relating to dogs are hereby repealed. THIS IS TO CERTIFY that the By-law of which the foregoing is a true copy was duly passed at a duly called meeting of the (Town) Council of the (Town) of Oxford held on the 17th day of May A.D., 1984 GIVEN under the hand of the (Town) Clerk and under the corporate seal of the said (Town) this 23 rd day of May A.D., 1984. Town Clerk