Laserfiche WebLink
No license, no problem: More cities eliminating pet licenses - StarTribune.com Page 2 of 3 <br />Changing practices <br />The practice of licensing pets emerged in the 1950s in rural areas as a way to figure out <br />who they belonged to, Schulz said. During a rabies scare in the 1970s, licenses were a <br />means to show that the pets were up-to-date on vaccinations. <br />Minnesota law doesn't require cities to license pets. That's up to municipalities, which <br />can enact ordinances specifying who must get a license, for what period and for how <br />much. <br />Some cities require dogs, cats and other small pets to be licensed, while others license <br />only dogs. Delano charges nothing for a license, while Minneapolis charges $75 to license <br />an unsterilized pet. <br />While some cities, like Bloomington, offer lifetime licenses with a one-time fee, others <br />want residents to renew every year or two. <br />But Kevin Toskey, a research attorney for the League of Minnesota Cities, said there was <br />"defmitely a trend happening with [cities] not enforcing or repealing pet licensing." <br />There are a variety of reasons. Technology, including dog facial recognition software <br />and microchips, is changing how we fmd lost animals, said Brayshaw. Microchips are <br />now implanted between the shoulder blades of every dog at the Animal Humane Society <br />and by many rescue organizations. <br />About a third of the pets belonging to the 85 million U.S. pet -owning households are <br />microchipped, said Kate Vossen, a spokeswoman for HomeAgain, a popular microchip <br />company. HomeAgain has reunited more than 2 million pets with their owners, she said. <br />City officials and experts said having pets wear a collar with identification and <br />vaccination tags is still the most effective way to bring them home. <br />As for vaccinations, rabies is far less common today than in the past, Schulz said. <br />Owners already must present vet records to take out pet insurance or enroll in doggy <br />day care. Farniok said that when a dog bite is reported, police go directly to the owner to <br />ask about vaccinations rather than checking city records. <br />Making a statement <br />The Minneapolis city website says that if pets are licensed, they are three times more <br />likely to be returned if missing. In some cities, licensing fees help offset the costs of dog <br />parks, and a license is needed to visit them. <br />Not every pet has a microchip, and microchips aren't infallible, Brayshaw said. He added <br />that "dead-end" microchips, which lack current contact information for owners, are <br />common. <br />Brayshaw said there are more important animal issues to focus on than licensing, <br />though he wondered if licensure and vaccination might be more effective if mandated by <br />counties or states rather than cities. <br />Few suburban pet owners recently interviewed said they had pet licenses. Some said they <br />didn't know they existed, and others didn't see the point. <br />Lisa Bernier-Perleberg said she's lived in Crystal for 16 years but never purchased a <br />license for her pets. "We always figured if we did get caught, it would be easier to just <br />pay a fine," she said. <br />As her two Jack Russell terrier mixes, Fred and Wilma, frolicked at Burnsville's <br />Alimagnet Dog Park, Mary Dean said she thought a dog license was "more paperwork <br />than it's worth." Dean, of Apple Valley, said she might change her mind if license revenue <br />went to animal shelters. <br />A few pet enthusiasts said there might be value in licensing pets. Amanda Waltz said she <br />went 13 years without getting a dog license, but she wondered if having one would have <br />helped when her dog nipped a kid on a bike. <br />http ://www. startribune. com/no-license-no-problem-more-cities-eliminating-pet-licenses/499... 3/7/2019 <br />