By Fernanda Santos
Even in these dog days of summer, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the
city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, traveled to a
Brooklyn park on Monday to spread a piece of welcoming news among dog
owners: They can now license their pets online.
Dog licensing is a legal requirement and violators can face fines of
at least $200. But the mayor said that only 20 percent of the estimated
500,000 dogs that live in New York City are believed to be licensed,
even though licenses are a requirement for dogs that frequent city
parks. One of the goals of the new system, he explained, is to
encourage more people to license their dogs.
“Licensing is not just a good idea — it’s actually the law,” Mr.
Bloomberg, who has two Labrador puppies in his Upper East Side mansion
named Bonnie and Clyde, said at the event, held at Hillside Dog Park in
Brooklyn Heights. (The mayor noted that sometimes, his dogs get more
attention at home than he does.)
The new online system shortens the wait time for new licenses and
renewals to 10 to 14 days, as opposed to the several weeks that it
often takes for mailed-in applications. The fee for first-time dog
licenses is $11.50. Renewals cost $8.50 if the dog has been spayed or
neutered or $11.50 if it has not.
Dr. Frieden said that although more than 100,000 dogs are licensed
each year in the city, “we hope to see that number increase
substantially.” “And having it available online, with a few clicks,” he
said, “really means there’s no excuse not to have your dog licensed.”
Mr. Bloomberg called the Web site
“a one-stop shop for dog owners.” In addition to applying for licenses,
owners can also request for a replacement of a lost licensing tag or
certificate and create a profile of their pet, with information like
its name, dominant color and breed, and month and year of birth.
As in paper applications, owners must enter their personal
information, including their address, which could help reunite them
with their dogs in case of separation.
Charlene Pedrolie, executive director of New York City Animal Care and Control,
the largest animal rescue and adoption agency in the Northeast, said
that dog licensing “has played a key role in reuniting lost dog with
their families.” In the past fiscal year alone, the agency was able to
reunite 1,100 dogs with their owners; of those, 500 were licensed,
which enabled the agency to find their owners within 24 hours, Ms.
Pedrolie said.
source - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog
7 comments:
Been reading for a short time but i like it,thanks and keep up the good work
Tom
Dog medicine
Yeah its quite a nice blog......good work
Ask anyone who has lost a dog how imprtant it is that the owners have the dog registered. Imangine lsoign your wallet with an ID in it - you'll never get it back. While it does cost some money (and it goes to the government) in this case it is worth it. Just as importnat is an id tag and a strong collar (a cheap will may tear off if the dog is on its own for a while). Many people are also using inplanted chips. well can't go by w/o a shamless plug and remind everyone to keep their dog healthy. Remember to keep your dog healthy
Bill
evolutionsupply.com
dog supplements
I wouldn't know what to do if I lost my dog to be honest. He has a micro chip for safety in case he does get out. Although it is important to keep contact info on the dog's collar, a micro chip is an easy, minimally invasive, way to ensure the safety of your dog.
FriendlyDogGuy
www.friendlydogstore.com
Hey Dogs Health advocates, I see you are not as active this year as in years past. I am however looking to partner up with dog bloggers such as yourselves to promote our relaunch.
I really like the style adn theme of your blog, please contact me further to discuss Better Health For Dogs mail to ryan @ betterhealthfordogs.com
Everyone else has already explained well what a city tag is. It's a way of animal control identifying you as an animal owner and linking that specific animal to you. They're also monitoring the number of intact animals and altered animals. It's easier just to comply than to deal with them if they find out you have an unlicensed pet. In addition to the city license, I recommend a tag you purchased yourself with your own identification information. That way people can just call you directly instead of taking your pet to the shelter to have them look you up for contact. If he's lost in the middle of the night when the shelter is closed, you can still be called as long as you have a tag with your phone number on him. A microchip will also help but of course the dog has to be taken to the vet or shelter to have it scanned. Both the chip and a tag with YOUR information would be best. He'll also need to wear his city tag and rabies tag.
invisible fence
Nice blog, i dont know what to say, but if you want your dog not to get lost, register him...
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