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Community Corner

State, County Double Efforts To Get Dogs Licensed As Enforcement Increases

PA Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will be canvassing Delaware County during the month of July to ensure that residents' dogs are licensed, and the county will continue its work to educate residents on the importance of licensing dogs.

Delaware County and its municipalities have been urging dog owners to license their dogs for months, but for dog owners who have not heeded the county's advice, dog licenses are all the more important now.

According to a Delaware County Treasurer's Office press release, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will be canvassing Delaware County during the month of July to ensure that residents' dogs are licensed.

Pennsylvania state law mandates that all dogs older than three months must be licensed by Jan. 1 of each year, and the fine for an unlicensed dog can run as high as $300.

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Most Dogs Unlicensed

Chairman Jack Whelan estimates that less than half the dogs in the county are licensed.

"We have a little less than 10,000 dogs licensed, but we believe … the majority of dogs are not licensed," Whelan said. "Because of what has , we recognize the extreme importance of having dogs licensed. We know it's an inconvenience to residents, … (but) the greatest part of having a dog licensed is that if the dog is lost, the police department, animal control officers, or anyone who finds the dog wandering around, are able to return the dog to its owner in a few hours."

When dogs are licensed, lost dogs can be quickly and easily returned by entering the license number in the Delaware County "Return a Lost Dog" service, which provides the phone number of the dog's owner.

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But many people don't realize their dogs should be licensed, Community Relations Director Justina Calgiano said.

"I think it's been pretty hard to access the information, and I don't think a lot of people know they have to get their dog licensed," Calgiano said. "Some people might not mean to completely disobey the law: they might just not know it's required of them. It's a lack of education and accessibility."

But when residents do not license their dogs, there are consequences. In 2010, of the 2,000 to 3,000 animals taken in by the SPCA, only 425 were reclaimed by their owners. 

"It's just a sad truth that once a dog finds its way in a shelter, most will not find a way back home because most (do not have I.D.s)," Calgiano said.

And with the stay in a shelter comes the risk of euthanasia, Calgiano said, since the through the end of 2011.

Traditionally, Delaware County and its municipalities have not aggressively enforced the state licensing law, Whelan said. Enforcement has mainly been left up to the state, which performs occasional spot checks such as the July canvassing event.

"We're probably going to see a change in that, because what we're seeing is the cost of housing and taking care of these dogs is significant," Whelan said. 

Drain On Resources

For each stray taken in by the SPCA and , Delaware County pays $125 and the municipality where the dog was found pays $116. For a total cost of $241 per animal. 

Additionally, strays increase work for township police.

"It's a drain on financial resources and a drain on police officers to have to detain dogs until Animal Control can get there," Springfield police chief Joseph Daly said. "Police officers can be doing other things, so it's a financial issue … [and] it's the worst time in the world to have a financial burden come up."

Radnor Police Sergeant George Smith also cited the drain caring for stray dogs presents to the police force and the township as a whole.

"Right now our resources are already stretched thin as they can be," Smith said.

Smith said owners often assume their pets will not get loose, and therefore do not take precautions or have their dogs licensed.

"They take it for granted that it's not their responsibility (to have their dog licensed) because it's not going to leave their home or property—but inevitably electric fences fail and dogs are found on other peoples property or sadly, the highway," he said.

Smith urged owners to license and properly collar their dogs with address and rabies tags because it significantly decreases the drain on police resources.

"That's all we really want," Smith said. "If we come across a stray animal it takes us 10 seconds to get it back to an owner in Radnor, rather than the vet or the SPCA. We're trying to work with the community, but they've got to work with us. We want pets returned to owners as quickly as possible so it doesn't tie up police resources."

Obtaining a License

The annual cost for a dog license is $6.45 per spayed or neutered dog and $8.45 for other dogs. A lifetime registration costs $50.

In an effort to make registration more convenient for residents, the county hopes to have an online dog registration form up and running by the beginning of 2012, Whelan said.

As for now though, dog licenses are available through the Delaware County Treasurer’s Office, or at additional locations throughout the county, including the SPCA. (See the list at the bottom of this article.)

Residents can come to the SPCA at any time to get a one-year license for their pups, or an application for a lifetime license, which must be filed at the Treasurer's Office.

In addition to a dog license, Calgiano also encouraged microchipping, a form of permanent identification that is painless for dogs. Often if dogs escape under fences, they may lose their collar. But with the wave of a microchip wand, a tool which the SPCA and many vets possess, the dog's identification information is immediately accessible.

"Microchipping combined with a dog license is the quickest way to make sure your dog can find his or her way home," Calgiano said. "There's a direct correlation between dogs being licensed and microchipped … and a reduced number of dogs we have in shelters, thus a lower euthanasia rate—it's a domino effect."

Microchipping usually costs $35, but will cost $20 at the SPCA's monthly clinics through the end of the summer. The next microchipping clinic will be offered at World Wide Animals and Pets in Upper Darby from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8.

Dog Licensing Locations

  • Haverford Township, 2325 Darby Road, Haverford
  • Delaware County Treasurer's Office, 201 W. Front Street, Media, on the ground floor of the Government Center
  • Delaware County Department of Parks and Recreation, Leedom House, Rose Tree Park, 1621 N. Providence Road, Upper Providence
  • Arts Animals, 212 MacDade Blvd., Holmes
  • Brookhaven Borough Hall, 2 Cambridge Road, Brookhaven
  • Chester Pike Animal Hospital, 304 N. Chester Pike, Glenolden
  • Community Animal Hospital, 2625 West Chester Pike, Broomall
  • Delco SPCA, 555 Sandy Bank Road, Media
  • Family Pet Resort, 3925 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square
  • Fuzzy Butts, 1585 Conchester Road, Boothwyn
  • Glencroft Veterinary Hospital, 6 E. Glenolden Ave., Glenolden
  • Glenolden Veterinary Hospital, 405 MacDade Blvd., Glenolden
  • Golden Mile Pet Services, 511 W. Baltimore Pike, Clifton Heights
  • Lansdowne Borough, 12 E. Baltimore Pike, Lansdowne
  • Middletown Township, 27 N. Pennell Road, Middletown
  • VCA Old Marple Veterinary Clinic, 820 W. Springfield Road
  • Prince’s Pet Goodies, 511 State Road, Springfield
  • Seven Seas, 3500 Edgemont Ave., Brookhaven
  • Upland Borough, Main Street and Castle Avenue, Upland
  • Upper Darby Township Building, 100 Garrett Road, Upper Darby

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