Virginia to curb unlicensed dogs

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

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.