County, dog warden urge dog owners to get licenses
About 24,000 of the dogs in Butler County, about 45%, are not licensed, but the county and its dog warden are hoping to change that this month during the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement’s “Love your Dog” month.
Treasurer Diane Marburger and dog warden Cole Redrup addressed the issue at Wednesday’s county commissioners meeting.
Redrup serves as the dog warden in region 4, which includes Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Somerset and Washington counties. He said he will canvas Butler on March 4 and other parts of the county on April 1 and May 13 looking for unlicensed dogs.
“We’re not trying to ambush people. We want this to be public,” Redrup said. “We hope this encourages people to get licenses ahead of time so we don’t have to go after people.”
A state increase in dog license fees that went into effect Dec. 1 raised the price of an annual license to $10.80. For senior citizens at least 65 years old, or any person with a disability, the annual fee is $8.80. Residents can buy a lifetime license, which costs $52.80. For seniors and people with disabilities, the lifetime license is $36.80. Licenses may be purchased online at www.butlercountypa.gov/368/Dog-Licenses or in the treasurer’s office on the first floor of the Butler County Government Center at 124 W. Diamond St.
Dogs have to be spayed or neutered and microchipped to get lifetime licenses.
People found with unlicensed dogs face a minimum fine of $100 and a maximum fine of $500. Licenses are less expensive that the fines, Redrup said.
“Every dog in Pennsylvania is required to be licensed by state law to have a license on Jan. 1 of each year as long as they are at least 12 weeks of age or, upon turning 12 weeks of age, they are required to get a license after that date,” Redrup said.
The law also requires dogs to have license tags attached to their collars when they are outside of their owner’s property, he said.
Marburger said a little more than half the dogs in the county are licensed.
The county has a population of 199,341. Of the county’s 78,481 households, 33,433 have dogs, she said. The dog population is 53,492 and 43,351, about 55%, are licensed. That leaves about 24,000 unlicensed she said.
Marburger said the percentage of licensed dogs in the county is a little higher than the 50% state average, but the goal is a high rate of compliance.
“Our objective is to increase the number (of licenses) sold and increase the number renewed,” she said.
