· Dogs under four months of age not running at large.

· If a non-resident brings a dog into New York State for less than 30 days and the dog is licensed according to the resident state’s licensing laws.

· Dogs confined to the premises of any public or private hospital, research institution or a Class A Dealer with a certificated of exemption from the Commissioner.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1. If the dog is spayed or neutered, a certificate from a licensed veterinarian or an affidavit from the owner showing that the dog has been spayed or neutered, unless this proof is already on file with the clerk.

2. All dogs three months or older must have proof of a rabies vaccination signed by a licensed veterinarian or a certificate stating why the life of the dog would be endangered by the vaccine.

· After the dog license application and appropriate certificates are filed and the license fee has been paid, the license will be validated for a one, two or three year period. 

The statutory license fees are:

· For spayed or neutered dogs: $2.50

· For UN-SPAYED OR UN-NEUTERED dogs: $10.50 ( $3.00 of this fee is used to fund the Animal Population Control Program)

· For GUIDE, WAR, HEARING, POLICE WORK, or SERVICE dogs: NO FEE

· In addition to the state fees, the Town of DeRuyter imposes a local license fee of $2.50 per license making the total fees:

Spayed or Neutered - $5.00

Un-spayed or Un-neutered - $13.00

Every licensing town, city or village must have a Dog Control Officer (DCO) and municipal shelter services.  The DCO and shelter service enforces both State and any local dog laws and ordinances.  Further, it is the DCO’s responsibility to pick up lost and stray dogs and humanely care for them until they can be reunited with their owners.

If your dog is lost or you find a lost dog, immediately contact the local DCO or shelter.  Owners should seek lost unidentified dogs at the municipal shelter.

If a dog is lost but identified with a NYS identification tag, the DCO will contact the NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets to trace the dog tag to the owner.

The local dog control officer must institute action for violations of both state and local laws.  Fines or civil penalties shall be up to $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second and $100 for the third and subsequent offenses.

If dogs injure or kill livestock, the local assessor should be notified immediately.  Do NOT destroy or bury the animals.  They must be available for examination so the assessor can appraise the damage.

Any local fees collected are kept by the licensing municipality for dog control services and enforcement of Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets law.  The state fee is apportioned as follows:

· 53% is retained by the licensing municipality for dog control and enforcement of Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets law.

· 30% is sent to Madison County to reimburse livestock animal owners for dog damage claims.  Any unused money is returned to the licensing municipalities annually.

· 17% is forwarded to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets to provide all dog license forms and identification tags, send renewal applications and maintain the centralized database of dog licenses.

· From the State’s 17% share, a 10 cent fee for each license issued is remitted to Cornell Veterinary College for dog disease studies.