Pooches receive amnesty
Among
the things people should do but sometimes forget: renewing the family dog’s
license.
Then,
when the humans in the family finally get around to renewing the dog license,
at $17 for altered dogs and $39 for unaltered ones, there is an additional late
penalty of $11 for altered and $20 for unaltered pooches.
Fortunately,
Santa Barbara County Animal Services is offering to waive the late fee during
the month of April.
According
to Stacy Crump, community outreach coordinator at the Santa Maria animal
shelter, the amnesty means no late fees will be assessed for the remainder of
the month.
“A
license is the pet’s ticket home,” Crump said. If a dog with a license tag is
found, “people are good about letting us know,” Crump said. That means the
likelihood of the pet being returned to its owner is greatly enhanced.
Perhaps
more importantly, licensing dogs means they also are protected against rabies.
“A
dog owner needs proof of an up-to-date rabies shot to
obtain a dog license,” Crump said. Likewise, those wishing for the discounted
fee for altered or neutered animals must bring proof of the surgery.
“It’s
pretty obvious when a male dog has been neutered,” she said, but you can’t tell
by looking with a female.”
The
danger of rabies is ongoing and very real, Crump said. “We have seen rabies
within our town. A young man died of rabies a couple of weeks ago,” she said.
“Someone said he was an immigrant.”
Dogs
can be vaccinated for rabies at four months of age, and usually receive two
other shots at the same time. They are for borgatella
(kennel cough) and parvo (distemper).
Crump
said that unlike dogs, cats are not required to be licensed, although license
tags are available for those who want them.
There
are three animal centers in Santa Barbara County where pet licensing and
vaccinations are available:
Santa Maria, 548
Foster Road,
(805) 934-6119
Lompoc, 1501 W.
Central,
(805) 737-7755
Santa Barbara, 5471
Overpass Rd., (805) 681-5285
Hours at all three
shelters are: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m.
Lompoc closes for
lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. each day.