Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols today said he’s beefing up the fines for pet owners who violate the city’s spay and neuter ordinance, to address what he says is a “pet overpopulation crisis” in Tulsa.
The fine for not getting a pet spayed or neutered increases from $75 to $250.
And the fine for repeat offenders is now $500.
The city, however, is also offering violators a voucher for a low-cost $30 spay and neuter service, and once violators show prove the animal has been fixed, city officials say the fine will be dismissed.
The fine for animal abandonment has also been increased from $75 to $300.
City officials say 85-percent of the animals that wind up at the city animal shelter have not been spayed or neutered.