2013 dog licenses now available

    AUGUSTA — Dog licenses for 2013 will go on sale across the state on Monday, Oct. 15, according to Animal Welfare Program officials with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
    Dog owners will be able to purchase their dog licenses at their local municipal offices and on line, said Liam Hughes, Animal Welfare Program director. Hughes said he is expecting “well over 200,000” dog licenses to be sold in Maine in the next few months.
    “In the past year, we’ve noticed pet owners coming forward and licensing their dogs,” Hughes said, “mostly because they are better educated about their responsibilities of being a pet owner.”
    All dogs to be licensed must have a current state of Maine rabies certificate. The Animal Welfare Program director said dog licensing is, in fact, “one of the best ways to fight the spread of rabies.” Some 70-plus cases of rabies so far have been confirmed in Maine, and the first rabid dog in over a decade was confirmed in September in Albion.
    Hughes also noted that “a lost dog wearing a dog license also has a better chance of being returned home.”
    Fees for the dog licenses will vary from community to community, and pet owners should contact their town offices for fee information. In Houlton, the fee is $6 if they have been spayed or neutered or $11 if they have not. Proof of spaying or neutering and a rabies certificate is required.
    After Jan. 31 dog owners will be fined for not having their dog licensed.
    Municipalities use money from the dog licenses to cover processing and to support animal control officers and animal welfare in each community, Hughes added.
    Dog licenses will be on sale from Oct. 15-Dec. 31, with a 30-day window until Jan. 31, 2013, to purchase one. After that, there will be a $25 late fee, which also goes to the town. Owners of dogs with no licenses also can receive summons from their local animal control officers, with a fine of up to $100.
    Hughes said Maine residents are taking pet ownership and dog licensing seriously.
    “The information is out there, and people are paying attention to what their animal’s needs are,” he said.
    For more information about Maine dog licenses, go to: http://www10.informe.org/dog_license/index.shtml. For more information about the Animal Welfare Program, go to: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/aw/index.html. For more information about the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, go to: http://www.maine.gov/acf.