Are you harbouring a fugitive?  The Regional District of Central Okanagan is offering a one-time, no cost opportunity to make unlicensed dogs legal.

During the month of October, it’s providing a free 2013 dog license to owners of unlicensed dogs across the region.

Starting January 1st, there will be Zero Tolerance for dogs without a license in the Central Okanagan.  In addition, it’s anticipated that the current $100 fine for an unlicensed dog will be increased substantially.  That’s in addition to the regular impound and licensing fees for the owners of unlicensed dogs.

Communications Officer Bruce Smith says, “After the extensive Dog Control Service review last year, the Regional Board directed staff to develop initiatives that would encourage more dog owners to license their pets and through the licensing fees, cover more of the cost of providing services to dog owners.  A dog license is mandatory, it’s the law and this one-time only offer of a free 2013 dog license for owners of unlicensed dogs is a step toward accomplishing that long-term goal, while making their dog legal.  We also believe having more licensed dogs will further encourage and support responsible dog ownership and compliance with our bylaw.   That benefits everyone, dog owners and those that don’t own a dog.”

The free 2013 dog license is only being offered from October 1st to 31st at either the main Regional District office at 1450 KLO Road or the Regional Dog Pound at 890 Weddell Place.

Smith adds, “Providing a license and permanent identification for your pet is the first principle of responsible dog ownership.  A current license tag on the collar of a pet is the dog’s ticket home should it unfortunately get away.  It makes less work for our staff and enables them to easily reunite lost pets with their owners and families.  We recently had a high profile case where a dog without a license or any other form of identification was injured and we couldn’t locate the owner.  With a current dog tag, our staff would have been able to contact the owner.”

Licensed dog owners also benefit from the ‘My Dog Matters’ Responsible Dog Owner Program.  Showing their rewards card allows them to take advantage of various discounts and savings offered at over 30 local businesses participating in the program and listed on the mydogmatters.ca website.  Those savings alone over the course of a year can more than pay for the annual cost of a dog license.

The fees collected from dog licenses in the Central Okanagan help fund the care provided and operation of the Regional Dog Pound and Dog Control Service as well as an annual $67,000 grant from the Regional District to the SPCA for its dog adoption, spay/neuter and education programming.

For more information about this program and dog licensing visit regionaldistrict.com/dogs.  That’s where you’ll find other information about the Regional Dog service and what to do if you lose or find a dog.

The Regional District encourages existing licensed dog owners with 2013 dog house shaped tags to continue to exchange their annual tag for a Permanent tag at no charge.  Since mid-August, more than 1,700 dog owners have visited either the RDCO 1450 KLO Road office or Regional Dog Pound at 890 Weddell Place to swap their license for the Permanent tag which allows an easy and convenient online license renewal and saves them from having to purchase a different, new tag each year.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013