Licensing Your Pet - Why Comply?

To License or Not to License… Why Comply?

PETS 911encourages pet owners to comply with pet licensing laws in their area. If your pet ever gets lost, you will be happy to have paid the money for the license.

Did you know that only 30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters each year are reclaimed by their owners*?

A lost pet has a higher probability of being returned to you if it is licensed. First of all, a private citizen finding the pet has a starting point to locate you. If the pet is taken to the shelter or picked up by animal care and control, a licensed pet is in the system and can be returned easier and faster.

For pet owners who do comply, some shelters offer:

• free rides home from the shelter
• a “first stop” visit to your home before your pet is ever taken to the shelter
• door hangers and/or phone notification that your pet is at the shelter
• free day(s) for time spent at the shelter (no cost or reduced cost to reclaim your pet)
• longer stays at the shelter while every effort is made to locate you or your alternate contact

And…there’s one other huge reason … Pet owners who comply with licensing save lives.

License fees support the return of thousands and thousands of lost pets each year and the adoptions of many more. License fees may also be used to help reduce pet overpopulation through spay and neuter programs and through community education.

When you do license your pet, please remember to:

• Update your information with your city or county if you move or your primary contact information changes.
• Put the license on your pet’s collar. Seems like a no brainer, but one PETS 911 staff person used to file her dogs’ licenses when they came…until she learned the benefits of having that tag on her dogs.

So, for the cost of 2 to 4 mocha lattes, you can have piece of mind and help pets in crisis.

*Source: Humane Society of the United States Pet Overpopulation Estimates. Hsus.org