It’s January, which means it’s time for Clermont County residents to renew their dog licenses for their ‘best friends.’
State law requires any dog more than three months of age to be licensed.
Currently, a county dog license that’s good for one year costs $16, while three-year dog licenses cost $48, and permanent dog licenses are $160; licenses are non-refundable.
Licenses purchased after Jan. 31 are subject to a $16 late penalty.
The monies collected from the sale of the licenses goes directly, and entirely, to fund the work of the county animal shelter. In fact, this is the only public funding that the shelter, which is run by Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society, receives.
Besides being required by law, here are a few of the reasons why it’s important to license your pooch:
– Licensing fees are far less expensive than the fines you can incur without one.
– If your dog goes missing, his being licensed will dramatically improve the chances of him being returned to you.
A license is a dog’s primary identification, and it’s the first thing shelter workers look for when they pick up a dog that’s gotten loose; dog licenses provide an easy way for the shelter to identify and contact the owner.
– Revenue from license sales is needed for everything from food and cleaning supplies to water and electric bills, as well as for dog warden services, shelter staff and veterinary care for the hundreds of homeless pets that go through the shelter’s doors every year.
In fact, without community support from license fees, Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society would be hard-pressed to keep the shelter going, Robin Tackett, license campaign manager and former board president, said.
She noted that they’re continuing to see fewer dogs being licensed each year, which results in less funding from the county. Last year, the shelter had a bare-bones budget of $310,000, and this year it’s dropped even further to $300,000.
In that vein, if all dogs in the county were to be licensed, the county’s funding for shelter operations would more than double, according to Tackett.
When asked for her opinion as to why dog owners don’t get licenses, she responded, “I feel like, at least within my group of friends … most of them have no idea that that’s the only funding that the shelter receives. They feel like there’s a black hole that money goes into; they don’t really know where the money goes.”
In addition to using the monies to continue their work of treating and caring for homeless animals, Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society is looking to install fencing so that dogs have safe areas to run and play, a carry-over project from last year.
“The money that we’ve taken in this year, we’ve treated the animals so differently than they’ve been treated in the past. When a heartworm positive dog comes in, we’re treating them for heartworms. Any animals that get hit by a car, we’re treating them; we’re caring for the animals as if they’re our own; we haven’t been able to get the fence yet,” Tackett said, adding, “We need the funding to pay the people so that we can do the things that need to be done.”
Dog licenses can be purchased at the Clermont shelter, located at 4025 Filager Road in Batavia, as well as at a number of other locations throughout the county, including the Clermont County Auditor’s office (in person at 101 East Main St. and online at www.clermontauditor.org/_dnn/Licensing/Dog-License-Information ), all Park National Bank Clermont County branches, and all RiverHills Bank Clermont County locations.
For a complete listing, go to www.clermontauditor.org/_d…/Licensing/Dog-Licenses-Locations.