By Susan Misur
CT Humane Society
This summer’s must-have accessory for dogs can be found in your city clerk’s office — that’s right, it’s time to get a new licensing tag for your pooch.
June is Dog License Renewal Month in Connecticut. Per state law, all dogs older than 6 months must be licensed in their municipality each year between June 1 and June 30, as old licenses expire June 30. The tags’ color and shape change each year, which allows animal control officers to easily know if a dog’s license is expired or is current.
The fee is $19 for a male or female dog that is unaltered.
However, it only costs $8 to license a spayed or neutered canine. All dogs must be up to date on their rabies vaccination to be licensed.
Licensing man’s best friend only requires a short application with the owner’s and dog’s information, a copy of the dog’s rabies vaccination certificate (which is available at the veterinarian office where the pet was vaccinated), and the fee. To receive the discount for having a spayed or neutered pet, a spay/neuter certificate must also be provided.
The documents and fee can be brought in person to your city clerk’s office or mailed. Owners then receive the new licensing tag for the upcoming year to attach to their dog’s collar. The West Haven city clerk’s office is on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St., and grants licenses from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
While licensing a dog is the law, it also brings perks for pooches and their owners. The most important way a tag can help is finding owners of lost pets. Since each tag’s ID is associated with the pet’s family, owners can be easily contacted when a runaway is picked up by an animal control officer.
As the Fourth of July fireworks season approaches, a licensing tag on a dog’s collar can be the key factor in reuniting a pup with his family after being scared off by fireworks.
Owners can be fined if their dogs are found wandering by animal control officers and do not have an up-to-date license. Additionally, there is a $1 late fee for each month a dog is not licensed after June 30.
Helping your dog by getting a license also helps pets in need. The dog licensing program helps fund the Animal Population Control Program, which provides vaccination and sterilization benefits to municipal shelter pets, pets belonging to in-need families, and feral cats.
For more information on dog licensing requirements, visit www.ct.gov/doag/apcp.
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Susan Misur is the Marketing & Communications Manager for the CT Humane Society.