HEAR YE, HEAR YE FELLOW DOG OWNERS!

The State of New York is opting out of the dog business! 

And just what, you may ask, has that got to do with me?  

Let me explain:

Our dogs have been licensed through the Department of Agriculture in the State of New York for many, many years.  All of the license tags emanate from those central offices.  The Towns have simply been the entry/exit point for the forms, which have actually been generated by data banks in Albany.  That is to cease. 

This means each and every municipality will have to develop their own independent licensing procedure, local tags and conduct all of the paperwork trail.  This will create more work for the Town Clerk's office, entail more personnel hours, cause the enactment of a new local law specific to dog control, and, undoubtedly, cost more money.  Those are the facts as we have them to date. 

So what comes next:

At present, many of you have not renewed your current licenses.  It would certainly behoove you to do so as soon as possible at the current cost:  $2.50 for neutered/spayed animals and $10.50 for intact animals.  In this manner, you will be protected and your dog traceable should it be lost until all of the upcoming changes are put in place.  If you haven't licensed your dog at all, please do so to avoid a fine for an unlicensed dog.  You must have a current rabies certificate to license your dog. 

Many people scoff at the law, feeling they do not need to license their animal because it is always in the house or it is not old enough yet or it is too old or they do not have the time...and that makes this a run on sentence as those are just run on excuses.  So do yourself, your dog, and your Dog Control Officer all a favor and take care of this small chore at a small cost now.  Put your tags on your dog so that I may return it safely to you when lost.  You love your animal.  This is a responsible way to show it.

•·         We have Lyme disease locally and it is deadly for dogs. 

•o   You can now have your animal vaccinated against the disease.

•·         Use Frontline for fleas and ticks.

•·         Invisible fences fail in power outages. 

•o   Do not leave your animals out if there is a chance of thunderstorms when you are not going to be at home.

 If you have any questions at any time, please call 865-6615

Gail W. Charboneau

Marcy Dog Control Officer