Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An animal control licence is your pet’s ticket home and helps ensure they can more easily be returned home safely by the Town’s Animal Control Contractor who would have an up-to-date record of how to contact the pet’s owners.

Licensing also saves pet owners added cost if your animal accidentally escapes your property, which can result in a fine for failing to licence your cat or dog.

It’s mandatory under the Animal Control Bylaw to have your pet licenced.

Dog owners must:

• Include documented proof their dog has been spayed or neutered to be eligible for the altered licence fee. This includes an official letter from your veterinarian or a receipt from the procedure. If you have provided proof of spay/neuter (such as an official letter from your veterinarian) in the past, the Town of Ponoka will have this record on file. The Town of Ponoka keeps proof of spay/neuter for the lifetime of the animal. 
  
  
• To purchase a licence, please fill out the Animal Licensing Form by clicking here. Please bring your completed form along with documented proof of spay or neuter and payment in-person at the Town Office at the Ponoka Civic Centre (200, 5604 50 Street) during business hours. The Town Office is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the exception of statutory holidays.

Dog licences will expire and require renewal each year. The early bird rate applies to pet owners who licence their dogs between October 1 to December 31 prior to each renewal year.

Cat owners must:

• Include documented proof their cat has been spayed or neutered to be eligible for the altered license fee. This includes an official letter from your veterinarian or a receipt from the procedure. If you have provided proof of spay/neuter (such as an official letter from your veterinarian) for the year, the Town of Ponoka will have this record on file. The Town of Ponoka keeps proof of spay/neuter for the lifetime of the animal.
• To purchase a license, please fill out the Animal Licensing Form by clicking here. Please bring your completed form along with documented proof of spay or neuter and payment in-person at the Town Office at the Ponoka Civic Centre (200, 5604 50 Street) during business hours. The Town Office is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the exception of statutory holidays.
  

Cat licenses will expire and require renewal each year. The early bird rate applied to pet owners who license their dogs between October 1 to December 31 prior to each renewal year.

You can view a complete list of the Town of Ponoka's Annual Animal Licensing Fees - Schedule A. The annual animal licensing fees for pet owners are:

To be eligible for the altered animal rate, pet owners must include documented proof of spay or neuter, such as an official letter from your veterinarian or a receipt from the procedure, when submitting the completed animal licensing form.

The Early Bird licensing rate applies to pet owners who licence their spayed or neutered dogs and cats between October 1 to December 31 prior to each renewal year. 

Documented proof of spay/neuter is required for the discounted altered animal rate. This includes an official letter from your veterinarian or a receipt from the procedure.

The early bird rate also applies to:

• New Ponoka residents who move to the Town of Ponoka and own a dog and/or cat; and
• Residents who become first-time animal owners of a dog and/or cat.

If you have provided proof of spay/neuter (such as an official letter from your veterinarian) in past years, the Town of Ponoka will have this record on file. The Town of Ponoka keeps proof of spay/neuter for the lifetime of the animal.

Under the Animal Control Bylaw, all cats and dogs must be licenced annually. Even if your pets are always kept indoors, there is a chance they can accidentally escape your property. A licence helps ensure that your pet can more easily be returned home safely by the Town’s Animal Control Contractor who will have an up-to-date record of how to contact the pet’s owners. 

Licensing also saves pet owners added cost by avoiding the fines for failing to licence your cat or dog if they are caught running at large.

The Town of Ponoka allows Exotic Pets unless they are restricted by provincial or federal legislation.

Under the Town’s Animal Control Bylaw, exotic pets have a definition and are regulated by provincial and federal legislation. For more information, see Part 2j; and Part 5, #29.

A limit on the maximum number of pets per household is common among Animal Control Bylaws in municipalities.

A maximum limit of five cats and dogs in total per residence is permitted in the Town of Ponoka (unless the property is occupied and operated by a licensed kennel operator in accordance with a development permit under the Town's Land Use Bylaw). See Part 5, #19.

Enforcement of the Town of Ponoka’s Animal Control Bylaw is carried out primarily on a complaint-driven basis by Old MacDonald Kennels, which operates under contract for the Town. Enforcement of the Bylaw is also provided by the Town's Community Peace Officers and by the Ponoka RCMP detachment as appropriate.

To report a concern under the Town’s Animal Control Bylaw, please contact Old MacDonald Kennels at 403-783-7447.

Learn more by reading Schedule A and Schedule C in the Animal Control Bylaw.

The Animal Control Bylaw defines ‘Aggressive Dog’ as any dog that has been designated as such by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in accordance with the Bylaw or has been made the subject of an Order under Alberta’s Dangerous Dogs Act.

To view the aggressive dog definition, regulations and licencing requirements, please See Part 2e; Part 4; and Part 6 of the Animal Control Bylaw.

The cat trapping requirements and regulations can be found in the Bylaw: see Part 7, Page 6; and Schedule D.