Dog Licenses

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Why is licensing so important?

The purpose of licensing today is different from its original intention. In the mid 1800's dogs were required to be licensed in an effort to help control the spread of rabies, a disease which was prevalent in the domestic dog population in the United States. In more recent times licensing has been used for various other reasons: control of roaming dogs, reduction of domestic dog damage, identification of dogs involved in bite/attack incidents, owner identification and location, rabies control (still a present issue), and a source of revenue for municipal and state canine control programs such as the Animal Population Program.

A number of studies have been conducted to determine the effects of aggressive licensing programs. Many states have found that an active licensing program helps reduce stray dogs, dog bites and attacks, promiscuous breeding, and helps reunite owners with their dogs in a more timely manner. Licensing and strict enforcement of licensing laws helps resolve problems in those areas. By establishing licensing as a priority, activities in other areas involving dogs will be reduced. Pet ownership responsibility, which is brought out by licensing, is another derived benefit.

Did you know that a dog wearing a license is easier to deal with, requires less time, and does not cost the town or dog owner as much money as a dog which is not licensed? If a dog is captured and is wearing a license the owner can be notified promptly, saving impoundment time, advertising fees, and care during impoundment. If a person is bitten/attacked by a dog with a license, the medical history can be obtained from the owner in a short period of time - thus relieving the anxiety of having to go through the rabies series. We should not lose sight of the fact that rabies is found in our state’s wildlife population.

Our forefathers saw the need for licensing to help them protect the human population from a deadly virus. Today licensing can also be used to protect people from the many problems which arise from our contact with domestic dogs just as licensing was used to curtail the threat of rabies many years before a safe anti-rabies vaccine was discovered, so too can licensing help protect the public from dog problems until a better solution is discovered.