Animal care and control officers will step up licensing enforcement beginning Wednesday in the unincorporated area of La Habra Heights.
Field enforcement officers will look for unlicensed and unmicrochipped pets, as well as any who have not been spayed or neutered in compliance with county ordinances.
State law requires all dogs over the age of four months to be vaccinated against rabies and licensed. County law, which applies to residents in any unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, requires both dogs and cats to meet that standard and also requires dogs to be spayed or neutered and microchipped.
Residents who fail to comply may be fined and forced to pay a $40 field enforcement fee.
The Board of Supervisors today adopted an ordinance requiring cats to also be spayed or neutered and microchipped. However, the department plans to wait three months, while the word gets out, before enforcing the new ordinance.
The Department of Animal Care and Control offers low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics. Microchips, which make it easy to find a lost pet, are now $15.
An application for a license and information on clinics can be found at www.animalcare.lacounty.gov.
— Wire reports