Moore, OK Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Section 4-173, part of the vicious animals article, imposes a battery of duties on the owner of a canine a municipal judge has determined to be vicious under § 4-171. Among them is mandatory sterilization: the canine must be spayed or neutered within 30 days of the determination, and that sterilization must include removal of the reproductive organs, not merely a hormonal or chemical alternative. The only way around the deadline is a documented medical exemption: a licensed veterinarian must provide documentation to the municipal court or animal control showing that the dog's medical condition contradicts sterilization.

Once the procedure is done, the licensed veterinarian who performed it must present verification to the municipal court or animal control confirming the surgery took place, closing the loop so the city has a paper record rather than relying on the owner's word. This sterilization duty sits alongside the section's other vicious-canine requirements: secure confinement in an enclosure at least five feet by ten feet and six feet high, a posted 'Beware of Dog' sign, annual registration with two photographs, and liability insurance of at least $100,000.00, so a vicious-canine owner who skips sterilization is typically already out of compliance on several other fronts as well.

Under § 4-174, any owner who fails to comply with § 4-173's responsibilities, including the sterilization requirement, is punished as provided in § 1-108 upon conviction and may additionally face up to ten days of imprisonment, and the animal itself can be impounded and destroyed.