Time to register your dog for the upcoming year
Time to register your dog for the upcoming year
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
Dog owners in town need to register their pets before they receive a late fee.
Those who own a dog in Scarborough have until Dec. 31 to register their pooch, before they are put on “the list” – a collection of names of those in town who have not registered their dogs for the current year and who may be fined or given a late fee if they eventually do not pay up.
The Maine Department of Agriculture is the state agency charged with overseeing Maine’s dog licensing program. Maine law states that all dogs over the age of six months need to be registered in the town where they reside.
According to the Scarborough town clerk’s office, the charge for an “altered” dog (one that has been spayed or neutered) is $6 and the charge for an “unaltered” dog is $10. While January is considered a “grace period” for those who still need to register their dogs, people who still have done it after Feb. 1 are subject to a $10 late fee and after April 1 are subject to a $25 late fee. After that, dog owners who have not registered their pets could be subject to a court summons and a fine. Notices will be sent out beginning Feb. 1 to alert people if their dog still needs to be licensed.
The Maine Department of Agriculture has designed a way for people to register their dogs online. A $1 charge is added to the fee if a person goes through the online registration process. Dozens of municipalities in Maine, including Scarborough, have begun allowing their residents to go online to register their dogs.
Last year was the first in which Scarborough residents could register their dogs online. Members of the clerk’s office said they have processed approximately 30 online dog licensing requests this year, which is up from last year.
There is a link on the town’s Web site (www.scarborough.me.us) that will guide those interested to the state’s site designed to register dogs.
Ninety percent of the revenue generated from dog licensing fees in the state goes toward such initiatives as investigations of animal cruelty complaints, enforcement of animal welfare laws, care for sick and/or injured stray animals, compliance with rabies vaccination and the return of lost pets to their owners.
The clerk’s office would like members of the public to inform them if their dog has died in the past year, so the office can update its records and not ask for money from someone unnecessarily.
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
Dog owners in town need to register their pets before they receive a late fee.
Those who own a dog in Scarborough have until Dec. 31 to register their pooch, before they are put on “the list” – a collection of names of those in town who have not registered their dogs for the current year and who may be fined or given a late fee if they eventually do not pay up.
The Maine Department of Agriculture is the state agency charged with overseeing Maine’s dog licensing program. Maine law states that all dogs over the age of six months need to be registered in the town where they reside.
According to the Scarborough town clerk’s office, the charge for an “altered” dog (one that has been spayed or neutered) is $6 and the charge for an “unaltered” dog is $10. While January is considered a “grace period” for those who still need to register their dogs, people who still have done it after Feb. 1 are subject to a $10 late fee and after April 1 are subject to a $25 late fee. After that, dog owners who have not registered their pets could be subject to a court summons and a fine. Notices will be sent out beginning Feb. 1 to alert people if their dog still needs to be licensed.
The Maine Department of Agriculture has designed a way for people to register their dogs online. A $1 charge is added to the fee if a person goes through the online registration process. Dozens of municipalities in Maine, including Scarborough, have begun allowing their residents to go online to register their dogs.
Last year was the first in which Scarborough residents could register their dogs online. Members of the clerk’s office said they have processed approximately 30 online dog licensing requests this year, which is up from last year.
There is a link on the town’s Web site (www.scarborough.me.us) that will guide those interested to the state’s site designed to register dogs.
Ninety percent of the revenue generated from dog licensing fees in the state goes toward such initiatives as investigations of animal cruelty complaints, enforcement of animal welfare laws, care for sick and/or injured stray animals, compliance with rabies vaccination and the return of lost pets to their owners.
The clerk’s office would like members of the public to inform them if their dog has died in the past year, so the office can update its records and not ask for money from someone unnecessarily.
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