Dog Tags

I live in a small town of 6,500 people. It is small enough that everyone knows pretty much what is happening to everyone else. For some reason somebody decided to start thinking like we are a big city and make sure every dog and cat in town are licensed.

Why?

We don’t have a Human Society in town, so if a dog is picked up, it is sent to the local veterinarian. The whole process doesn’t make sense.

First, if you own a cat, you only have to pay a one-time fee of $10. If you own a dog, though, you must renew your license every year for $15. If you have a second dog, it costs $20 a year. Why does the second dog cost more? Why is there a one-time fee for a cat, but not a dog?

The Town wants to register and tag the dogs and cats. Again, I ask why? They say it is to assist returning stray pets to their owners. I already have tags on my pets. Inscribed on the medallion are their names and my phone number. That seems pretty simple to me. If they are coming up with dog tags, then do one that has my name and number on it.

Is the Town trying to limit pet ownership? This is a poor way to do it. It increases the bureaucracy without any great advantage.

All of our pets are rescued. We have taken in those that nobody has wanted. Why should we be punished for giving a poor creature a good home?

I suspect that one of the main reasons for this is that people let their dog out and don’t pick up after it. If the dog isn’t identified as theirs, then they can deny it. As I said, this is a small town. Most people in the neighbourhoods know who owns what pet. The way to get around this is to create a huge fine for not picking up the poop. It will only take one person to be nabbed and the word will spread like wildfire around town.

My feeling is that the by-law is something that is something that a disgruntled, non-pet-owner has pieced together without asking those with pets what a better solution might be. It sounds like they are trying to punish people and not simply trying to find the best solution for the problem.