Dog License

[Milopup]

With all the travelling I have been doing, I think I forgot to get my pup licensed in NY. Does anyone know if we will be subject to a huge fine if we license him "late" (not within 30 days of moving to NY)? I want to do the right thing, but neither my pup nor I want to go sit in jail or pay a huge fine. :(

ETA: We received a collar tag when we took him in for a rabies shot - I thought this was the license but I guess in NYC it isn't?

[Kramersmom]

I dont think you will have a fine. We have to have our pets licensed here too. It's only like $3.00 Just tell them you thought the rabies was all you needed and you just found out they have to be licensed. Just play alittle dumb founded LOL and I'm sure it will be fine. Say its your first pet and your not familar with all the rules etc... Blonde, burnette, red head moment again

[Milopup]

So most states have a rabies tag as well as a dog license, or are they one and the same? I thought they were the same in CA (the vet did the license for us upon neutering and rabies shot), but I am not sure in NY.

[Anna_525]

Hi Milopup, the license and the rabies tags are separate. No, you won't be fined if you just apply now, in fact they would be more than happy to give you a license! No questions are asked. When we applied for Alfie, his records were from his former owner and the shots were dated way back, so we were also nervous about being questioned. But there were none! Some folks even wait till after spaying/neutering because the license will be $7 as opposed to $13 if not spayed.

Visit your town's website. There should be information there.

Here is the one for North Hempstead (I just googled NYS dog license)

NYS license info

[sanford]

Hi,

I also live in NYC. When you get the license, attach the sticker from your vet. I sent away for my dog's license & it took the city about a month before they sent it to me.

At that time, I did an informal survey at my local dog run and it turned out that many owners never bothered to get licenses at all. They never had an problems because of that. But I believe the best policy is to obey the law. It's also the best thing to do because if you're ever stopped for any reason, ( dog off leash, etc.), you would then get an additional fine for no license.

Hope this helps.

[sanford]

Correction: Oops! I made an error re what I wrote about attaching the "sticker" from your vet. Just disregard that part of my reply.

Also, the rabies tag and dog license are two different things.

[DashellKc]

We have to liscence our dogs with the city when the dog is 6 months old. Dash is an exception because he just turned 6 months and they told me to wait until 01/01/06 because it would be pointless to do so for 2 months. We have to show proof of rabies and pay like 5 or $7 here I believe.

Taylor

[CathyAnn]

I believe our licensing for dogs is done in coordination with receiving the rabies vaccine thru vet's offices here in Illinois.

We were late getting Piper's shots this year and got a notice from the county thru the mail.

Sure would make more sense if New York handled it that way.

Cathy

[Guest Darcy's Mom]

I hate to sound dumb about this license subject, but could someone explain to me the reason you have to have your pet licensed? Where I live, I have never heard of this and if its a new law or something, I definitely need to know if its something I need to check into.

[Milopup]

Thanks for the replies. I guess we will get it done at the beginning of the year for 2006. BTW - Anna: the NYC licensing only states that rabies shots are required, not whether the 3 year shot is invalid. And our vet gave our pup the 3-year shot last Feb, so I guess he is covered until 2008. Weird that it is different in other parts of NYS.

[kayharley]

I assume because a dog is considered a "possession" and you being the legal owner, a license is mandatory. Here in CT it's a law to stop your vehicle if you hit a dog where you do not have to stop if you hit a cat (How could an animal lover NOT stop for a kitty....beyond me)

If there are ever any complaints about roaming or barking dogs, the animal control officer will look to see if this dog is licensed. If not, a fine is given. Having a licensed dog also shows that he/she has been vaccinated for rabies.

[CathyAnn]

Kay....you've got to be kidding??

That's awful that you don't have to stop for a cat!

Cathy

[Milopup]

That is part of why I got confused - upon vaccination against rabies, the vet gave us a tag to put on our pup's collar, which has his rabies vaccination information, as well as where he was vaccinated. It looked like a license, so we thought it was one.

[bradl]

Fun fact: the color and shape of the rabies tag changes each year - so you can tell what year the dog wearing the tag was vaccinated (presuming a dog is wearing his own tag of course). I don't believe the color/shape thing is mandatory, but I believe the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) makes a recommendation each year. I think it was a green bell in 03, a red heart in 04, a blue rosette in 05, and will be an orange oval for 06.

[Anna_525]

Thanks for the replies.  I guess we will get it done at the beginning of the year for 2006.  BTW - Anna: the NYC licensing only states that rabies shots are required, not whether the 3 year shot is invalid.  And our vet gave our pup the 3-year shot last Feb, so I guess he is covered until 2008. Weird that it is different in other parts of NYS. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe it's just me not catching up with what's new as far as regulations are concerned. We'll find out when we renew the license. NYC tends to be very proactive with public health issues like this.

I do know that many dog owners don't bother getting licenses. For me, it's a very small price to pay compared to the fine you may get if your dog strays and gets into trouble, especially if you own a dog that has an inner werewolf within (what our neighbor recently discovered about their otherwise gentle german pointer)!!

[Kramersmom]

I live in Illinois, my town is New Lenox (Will county) and we have to get a

license for each pet, they claim if the pet gets lost the village can find the owner threw the license. We also are only allowed 2 pets that meaning cats or dogs

That is a home owners association rule.

[Darcy's Folks]

Wow!!! Lots of interesting information! Guess I need to read up on what our state laws are here in Colorado. Darcy is the first pet I have owned in 15 years (and my first dog ever).

Brad's info on the rabies tag was very interesting. I'm especially excited that '06 might be orange... my favorite color (and Darcy looks smashing in it!)