Virginia to curb unlicensed dogs

SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. (AP) — Bonnie Winstead’s poodle, Jackson, is off the grid: unlicensed and untagged.

“It’s my dog. It’s my business,” says Miss Winstead, who vaccinates her dog but objects to paying Spotsylvania County to license him.

“I don’t think I should have to pay a personal-property tax on my dog,” she said. “It’s bad enough I have to pay it on my car.”

Officials estimate that only one in five dogs in Virginia is actually licensed at an annual cost of $5 to $10.

Not licensing a dog is a Class 4 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $250 fine. But enforcing the law is another problem.

A law passed by the 2006 General Assembly will make it easier for localities to track their canine populations.

The law requires veterinarians to forward information to their county treasurer on each dog vaccinated for rabies.

The treasurer then can see whether the dog is licensed. If not, the dog’s owner has 90 days to purchase tags for the animal before the treasurer sends a bill and a polite reminder.

The law takes effect in July 2007.

While Delegate Robert D. Orrock Sr.’s bill was separate from dangerous-dog legislation passed this year, it too was prompted by the death of Spotsylvania resident Dorothy Sullivan, who was mauled by a neighbor’s pit bulls in March 2005.

Because the three dogs weren’t licensed, authorities had difficulty tying them to Deanna Large, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Mrs. Sullivan’s death.

“If they’re not licensed, then there’s no legal trail in the event something happens with that animal,” Mr. Orrock, Spotsylvania Republican, told the Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg.

“You can put all the penalties you want on the owner, but until you can prove who the owner is, how good are they? Let’s increase licensure compliance,” Mr. Orrock added.

Steve Escobar, a Henrico County veterinarian and an officer in the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, said his customers welcome the law.

“We think the majority of the lack of compliance is because of the inconvenience of going down to get a license,” Dr. Escobar said.

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