Area Dog Owners Cautioned to License Their Pets

With summer nearly upon us, more incidences of lost and stray dogs are being reported throughout the Pound Ridge and Lewisboro communities.

“With the warmer weather, more people are going outside with their dogs and sometimes [the dogs] will bolt to chase a dear or a rabbit and the owners will just leave them and go home,” said Joan Dooley, who serves as animal control officer for both towns.

Dooley said pets can escape through open doors and windows, which are often left open in the summer. She also noted that dogs can often breach invisible electronic fences and wander off. She said such devices are not meant to contain a dog for long extended periods of time.

“The call of nature is too tempting,” she said.

If a dog does get loose, one key to retrieving the stray pet quickly, Dooley said, is to make sure that it is licensed. Officials will be able to use the license to identify the dog and get it back to the owner.

“Some people don’t even know they’re supposed to have a license for their dog,” she said.

New York State requires that all dogs owned or harbored for 30 days have a license. Applications for dog licenses are available at the town clerk’s office. Besides the application, dog owners will also need an affidavit from a veterinarian that shows the dog has been spayed or neutered. For dogs four months or older, they will also need proof from a vet that the dog has received a rabies vaccination. The license – a small metal tag – must be attached to the dog’s collar.

License fees are $11 for spayed and neutered dogs and $23 for unsprayed or unneutered dogs. Renewal forms are sent directly to the dog owner.

Dooley also recommends adding a name tag that includes the owner’s phone number to the license and attach them both the collar.

“If you don’t want to purchase a name tag and you don’t want his license tag dangling, rivet it to the collar and write your phone number on the collar or on a piece of duct tape around the collar in permanent marker,” she said.

For questions regarding dogs in the Town of Pound Ridge or Lewisboro, call Dooley at (914) 447-0106, the town clerk’s office at (914) 764-5511, or the Pound Ridge Police Department at (914) 764-4206.

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