State wants to make sure dogs have licenses By SHEILA BOUGHNER Staff writer A dog license rattling against a collar makes a distinct jingle. By early August, Venango County dogs had better make that sound, and their licenses had better be current. Dog wardens with the state Department of Agriculture’s Dog Law Enforcement Office will canvass homes in Franklin, Oil City, Reno, Rocky Grove, Seneca and surrounding areas between Monday, Aug. 5, and Friday, Aug. 16, making sure dogs are licensed and have their rabies shots. State law requires all dogs three months of age or older to be licensed by Jan. 1 of each year. The fee is $6.45 for each spayed or neutered dog and $8.45 for dogs not spayed or neutered. Senior citizens or those with disabilities may purchase a license for $4.45 for spayed or neutered dogs and $6.45 for dogs that are not spayed or neutered. Lifetime licenses are also available. Failure to comply with the licensing requirement can result in a summary citation and a fine of up to $300 plus court costs. Dog licenses are available at the Venango County treasurer’s office, the Venango County Humane Society on Deep Hollow Road, the Oil City Agway and the Seneca Veterinary Clinic, 2646 Route 257. They may also be purchased online at padoglicense. State law also requires all dogs three months of age and older to be vaccinated against rabies. Booster shots must be administered periodically to maintain the pet’s lifelong immunity. Violations of the rabies vaccination requirements can also result in a summary citation and a fine of up to $300. Door to door Dog wardens work together on the canvassing. “They drive around or check on folks door to door,” said Samantha Elliott Krepps, a media contact with the Department of Agriculture press office. “They will be checking to make sure all dogs are licensed, because it’s the law. They will also be checking for vaccinations for rabies.” If there is no answer at a door, the dog wardens will leave behind information about the requirements and a dog license application, she said. The dog wardens will present identification showing they are state dog wardens, she said. Venango County is part of the Dog Law Enforcement Office’s Region 1, based in Meadville. The region also includes Clarion, Forest, Erie, Crawford, Warren, McKean, Mercer, Elk, Jefferson, Armstrong and Indiana counties. Ira Custard is the dog warden for both Venango and Mercer counties. Mark Holben is the dog warden for Clarion and Forest counties. They are among 54 dog wardens covering the state’s 67 counties. Why license? Krepps pointed out that it is much cheaper to pay $6.45 for a dog license than pay up to $300 for a fine. And with the licenses available at the county treasurer’s office in the courthouse annex in Franklin and at three other spots in the county as well as online, obtaining one is also easy, she said. Pennsylvania’s dog licensing requirement has been in effect since the late 1800s, she said, and revenues from the license sales fund all the activities performed by the state Dog Law Enforcement Office. Those duties include enforcing laws and regulations related to licensing of individual dogs, licensing and inspection of kennels, activities related to stray dogs and dangerous dogs, and processing claims for livestock damage caused by dogs and coyotes. “We protect the well-being of dogs and Pennsylvanians,” Krepps said. People can help protect their dogs by purchasing a license, she said. “If your dog gets lost, that license is his ticket home,” she said. “It is the best way to get him home quickly and get him home safely.” While she could not provide an estimate of the number of dogs in Pennsylvania that go unlicensed each year, she said the office is aware that many do and is stepping up its efforts to increase awareness of and compliance with the requirements. By the numbers In 2012, 846,323 individual dog licenses were sold statewide, including 808,776 annual and 37,547 lifetime licenses, generating $5,262,479 in revenue, according to the 2012 annual Dog Law Report filed by the Department of Agriculture with the General Assembly. Those figures exclude the licenses sold in the cities of Erie, Altoona, Harrisburg, Scranton, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, which maintain local dog licensing programs and retain the revenue. More than $4.5 million of the revenue went for personnel costs and $1.4 million was spent on operating expenses. Nearly $217,000 went for grants and nearly $19,000 was spent on domestic animal damage claims. The ending balance of the fund, called the dog law restricted account, was $1,337,563.32. According to the report, the focus of the Dog Law Enforcement Office in 2012 was to restore the solvency of the dog law restricted account by various means including increased emphasis on dog license sales. The report identifies the same focus for 2013. Venango County Treasurer Deborah H. Sharpe said 8,069 dog licenses were sold between Dec. 1, 2011, and Nov. 30, 2012, in Venango County, generating $63,187.15. Of that amount, $51,545 was remitted to the state and $11,642.15 was retained by the county as its commission on the sales. License sales in the county for the current year are ahead of the 2012 pace As of Wednesday, 8,134 had been sold since Nov. 1, 2012, generating $61,273.65, including $49,546 for the dog law restricted account and $11,727.65 for the county. That uptick in sales is evident statewide, Krepps said, and she pointed to a 17 percent increase in April and May, which accounted for an additional $179,000 in revenue. The office has issued 2,290 citations across the state so far this year, including those resulting from kennel inspections as well as those for violations of the licensing and rabies vaccination requirements, she said.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 13:41:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015