43
Auditor, dog warden initiate new online system for dog licensing
The number of licensed dogs jumped dramatically this year.
LISBON — People who have lost dogs don’t check in the obvious place: the Columbiana County Dog Warden’s Office.
“I just don’t think that people stop and think to call us,” said Dawn McVay, the dog warden.
County Auditor Nancy Milliken said Monday that her office, which issues dog licenses, has created a new online system that will help people locate dog owners as well as cut the time it takes to renew a dog license.
Dog warden staff or individual people who find a stray dog can type in the dog’s license number at www.columbianacountydoglicense.com to find the owner’s address and phone number.
Dog wardens in the field will be also able to look up stray animals on the Internet. Information on dogs will be updated in real time.
The auditor’s office and humane society will each pay about $3,000 for the upgrades.
Dog owners may also print out an application for a license or find the list of locations throughout the county that sell dog licenses.
Milliken, a dog owner, said, “A license is lost dog’s ticket home.”
Dawn McVay, the county dog warden, said the new system will make things easier.
Dogs that are running free are automatically taken to the pound, as a reminder to the owner that the loose dogs are a problem.
If a licensed dog is caught running free and has caused no problems, the owner will get off with a warning, McVay said.
After that, dogs running free are handled on a case-by-case basis, which includes whether there have been complaints from neighbors.
Owners who have no license are automatically fined, McVay said.
The economic choice is simple: A license or a renewal is just $8.
A charge of failure to keep a dog under control can bring a fine of $117. A charge of failing to register a dog can bring a $97 fine.
McVay said that dog licenses increased by about 3,000 dogs for 2008.
That was in response to a crackdown by McVay’s office.
“We were out checking [licenses], and people got wind of it,” McVay said.
The county now has about 26,000 registered dogs.
McVay said it is the unlicensed animals that suffer. About two months ago, a dog that was hit by a car was found off state Route 7 between Rogers and East Fairfield. The old dog had a collar but no tag. The animal was euthanized.
License renewals were mailed Monday to all registered owners. They must be returned between Dec. 1 and Jan. 31. The new application will help people who are out of the state during the registered period, Milliken said.
The new Web site also has links to the Columbiana County Humane Society, Angels for Animals, and the county dog pound for people who may be looking for a new pet.
wilkinson@vindy.com