The ordinance will require that all dogs cats and over the age of six months be spayed or neutered unless they qualify for one of the following exemptions:

A licensed veterinarian certifies that the animal's health would best be served by spaying/neutering after a specified date, or that due to age or poor health it is unsafe to sterilize the animal at this time.

The owner of the dog or cat has a valid $100 breeding permit. Applicants are required to undergo a criminal background check.

Residents are permitted to whelp only 1 litter per year unless they receive a special exemption from the commission. A separate permit is still required for each animal, even if it is not being bred that year.

This permit is in addition to the $50 intact license fee.

The breeding permit number must be displayed in any advertisement for sale.

Breeders are required to provide contact information for new owners to the city and to present the new owner with an application for a pet license.

The dog or cat is registered with a registry approved by the commission and is kept for the purposes of competing in legitimate shows or competitions.

The dog has earned, or is actively being trained and is in the process of earning an agility, carting, herding, protection, rally, hunting, working or other title from an approved registry or association.

The dog is trained or in the process of being trained as a guide, signal or service dog or is enrolled in a licensed breeding program for these activities.

The dog is trained or in the process of being trained and is actively used by law enforcement agencies or the military.

The proposal allows animals to be impounded simply because they are not sterilized. To reclaim an animal it must be sterilized and microchipped and the owner must pay the full costs of those procedures in addition to penalties.

Source: American Kennel Club