A Dog License Canvass is Taking Place This Week

To ensure that all dogs three months or older are licensed by the state, the PA Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will be canvassing the county beginning today and until May 27.

“Their main goal is to assess that the dogs are licensed,” Lower Southampton Animal Control Advisory Board chair Sara Comstock said.

“They’re going to visit parks and places people take their dogs on walks to make sure they are licensed,” she said.

According to Comstock, the state discovered years ago that there was an “over abundance” of dogs and implemented the dog license to determine how many dogs there were in the state.

Dog licenses also help when a dog becomes lost or stray. If a dog is licensed, Comstock said the license can be looked up to find out who the dog’s owner is.

“Personally to me, it’s very easy to obtain a dog license,” Comstock said. She said that license applications are available on the Bucks County website and the state’s website. In addition, Comstock said that the LSACAB has made dog license applications available at the . Residents cannot pay for the license there, but the form can be picked up there and mailed to the Bucks County Treasurer’s office in Doylestown.

Not only did Comstock note that it is easy to get a license for dogs, but they also “don’t cost that much.”

According to Bucks County’s website, a license for a male or female dog costs $8.45 and $6.45 for a neutered male or spayed female dog. Those prices are discounted for seniors and persons with disabilities. The licenses have to be renewed every year unless a lifetime dog license is obtained, Comstock said.

Comstock said that the maximum fine per violation is $300, so “you might as well spend $6.45.”

A lifetime dog license costs $51.45 for a male or female dog and $31.45 for a neutered male or spayed female dog, according to the county website. Part of the procedure in obtaining a lifetime dog license includes having the dog microchipped by a licensed veterinarian or licensed kennel owner. The process also requires an owner to have a number issued by the county treasurer tattooed on the dog.

“They’re not going to do any confiscations,” Comstock said of this week’s canvassing.

The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement “wants to ensure that all Pennsylvania dogs are licensed and that they’re safe.”