Do you license your pets? (Arlington, Fairfax: house, taxes, living in)

[mominbristow]

For the heck of it, I was browsing PWC page of recent arrests in the county. There were quite a few who were arrested for failure to license their pets.

Just curious how many out there do/don't license their pets. Never realized this was an arrestable offense...

[airjay75]

If you can't take take the 5 minutes of time and spend the few dollars required to license your dog, you shouldn't have one. Maybe that's harsh, but that's my opinion. I have 2 dogs and I would never think of not following the law and licensing them on an annual basis. I could understand letting it slip your mind and being late, but outright not licensing them as legally required? Then you're either lazy or ignorant, and not responsible enough to have another creature in your care. But, unfortunately, this world does not lack for lazy or ignorant people.

Not sure what I think about someone being arrested if it were solely for not licensing your dog, and I sort of doubt that someone would be arrested solely for that. Seems more likely it would be that their dog hurt someone and wasn't licensed, so it became a way to go after the owner, in which case, I don't really have a problem with it.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by mominbristow

For the heck of it, I was browsing PWC page of recent arrests in the county. There were quite a few who were arrested for failure to license their pets.

Just curious how many out there do/don't license their pets. Never realized this was an arrestable offense...

One is not physically arrested but they do receive a summons. You might argue it is still an arrest but at least not a physical one in the sense you are cuffed and taken before a magistrate.

[ChristineVA]

I didn't license my pets for a long time because I actually didn't even know about it. At some point, though, my vet must be sending stuff into the county because now I receive a bill, annually, for the $10 fee. And, yes, I pay it.

[HereinVA]

Are only dogs required to be licensed, or cats too?

We adopted our cat from the county animal shelter, and they never said anything about a license.

[mominbristow]

Originally Posted by airjay75

If you can't take take the 5 minutes of time and spend the few dollars required to license your dog, you shouldn't have one. Maybe that's harsh, but that's my opinion. I have 2 dogs and I would never think of not following the law and licensing them on an annual basis. I could understand letting it slip your mind and being late, but outright not licensing them as legally required? Then you're either lazy or ignorant, and not responsible enough to have another creature in your care. But, unfortunately, this world does not lack for lazy or ignorant people.

Not sure what I think about someone being arrested if it were solely for not licensing your dog, and I sort of doubt that someone would be arrested solely for that. Seems more likely it would be that their dog hurt someone and wasn't licensed, so it became a way to go after the owner, in which case, I don't really have a problem with it.

Wow, that IS harsh! Lazy? Ignorant? For a law that I'm willing to bet quite a few pet owners are not even aware of?

FWIW, I've been a pet owner in this county since moving here 15 years ago. Not once did I ever read or hear about this licensing requirement, and no vet ever mentioned it, even though my pets are all kept religiously up-to-date on vaccines. I've never had occasion to read the PWC animal control website (until yesterday) because quite frankly I've never had animal control issues. My dogs are all well trained, well mannered and not allowed to roam. The website is the only place I've seen mention of the licensing law.

Yes, ignorance of the law is not an excuse, but I wonder how many laws YOU are guilty of that you didn't know existed? My pets are pampered, well-fed with high-quality food, kept up-to-dare on all medical care, and lead happy, healthy, loved lives. All despite the fact that I didn't give the county $10 last year.

[Carlingtonian]

We have spent thousands of dollars on our dog in the past 3 years, but I refuse to pay the $10 annual "license" fee Arlington asks for, because Arlington does not provide any service in return. The County does not enforce leash laws nor do animal control; it has handed overall responsibility and authority to Animal Welfare of Arlington, and they don't do much. We already have the tag from the vet showing the dog is vaccinated, so what point is there to the stupid "license"? I'm the farthest thing from a Tea Partier, but the County has so many taxes and fees that when they demand some ridiculous fee for nothing at all--just to hand it over to an ineffectual nonprofit--and I can get away with no paying it, that's what I do.

Airjay, I think you're assuming that anyone who doesn't license the dog is not properly caring for the dog. Anyone who neglects an animal should jailed, and anyone who abuses one should be shot (or worse). However, I don't think we're guilty of laziness. I carry our disabled German Shepherd in and out of the house several times a day, and lately we cook for him (chicken and rice). I regularly have to clean his posterior--which, to my wife's disgust, I call "combing out the chocolate chips"--after he falls backward into his own leavings. I'm even going to cancel doing a major trip/event I'd planned for months because he needs to be carried various places, a task that only I can manage. Our refusal to pay the fee isn't ignorance or laziness; it's a matter of principle.

[airjay75]

Originally Posted by mominbristow

Wow, that IS harsh! Lazy? Ignorant? For a law that I'm willing to bet quite a few pet owners are not even aware of?

FWIW, I've been a pet owner in this county since moving here 15 years ago. Not once did I ever read or hear about this licensing requirement, and no vet ever mentioned it, even though my pets are all kept religiously up-to-date on vaccines. I've never had occasion to read the PWC animal control website (until yesterday) because quite frankly I've never had animal control issues. My dogs are all well trained, well mannered and not allowed to roam. The website is the only place I've seen mention of the licensing law.

Yes, ignorance of the law is not an excuse, but I wonder how many laws YOU are guilty of that you didn't know existed? My pets are pampered, well-fed with high-quality food, kept up-to-dare on all medical care, and lead happy, healthy, loved lives. All despite the fact that I didn't give the county $10 last year.

Well, I suppose if you come here from another country, I could possibly understand some ignorance of the law. I don't know what other countries do as far as licensing pets. But, in the U.S., I think it is pretty standard and has been for a long time that you are required to register dogs (as far as I know, you aren't required to register cats, but I do remember specifically checking Fairfax County when I first moved here). Licensing your dog is something I've been familiar with since I was a teenager. Moreover, almost every vet I've ever been too has materials there to license your dog and gives you the rabies certificate to do so. I don't know how long it took you to realize that you were requird to license your dogs. If it took you 15 years, that would meet my definition of ignorance. I think you have to really be living in your own bubble to not find that out at some point. Maybe I am colored too much by my own experience on this, but I just think you do have to be ignorant or lacking in intelligence not to find out about this legal requirement.

I will back down from my statement that if you don't license your dogs, you shouldn't have them. Clearly, someone could really care for and take care of their pets without having licensed them. But, I do stand by my statement that it is either laziness or ignorance that is the cause.

[airjay75]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

We have spent thousands of dollars on our dog in the past 3 years, but I refuse to pay the $10 annual "license" fee Arlington asks for, because Arlington does not provide any service in return. The County does not enforce leash laws nor do animal control; it has handed overall responsibility and authority to Animal Welfare of Arlington, and they don't do much. We already have the tag from the vet showing the dog is vaccinated, so what point is there to the stupid "license"? I'm the farthest thing from a Tea Partier, but the County has so many taxes and fees that when they demand some ridiculous fee for nothing at all--just to hand it over to an ineffectual nonprofit--and I can get away with no paying it, that's what I do.

Airjay, I think you're assuming that anyone who doesn't license the dog is not properly caring for the dog. Anyone who neglects an animal should jailed, and anyone who abuses one should be shot (or worse). However, I don't think we're guilty of laziness. I carry our disabled German Shepherd in and out of the house several times a day, and lately we cook for him (chicken and rice). I regularly have to clean his posterior--which, to my wife's disgust, I call "combing out the chocolate chips"--after he falls backward into his own leavings. I'm even going to cancel doing a major trip/event I'd planned for months because he needs to be carried various places, a task that only I can manage. Our refusal to pay the fee isn't ignorance or laziness; it's a matter of principle.

Well, certainly the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of someone not licensing their dog is someone who isn't taking care of their dog. But, I will back away from my statement that you shouldn't have a dog if you don't license them. Clearly, you can not register your dogs and still properly care for them at the same time.

But, with all due respect, I think your view regarding not paying the legally required fee because you don't feel like you're getting anything in return is an ignorant point of view and I simply disagree. I know I've read some of your previous posts on your frustration with animal control and enforcement of leash laws in Arlington, and I can certainly sympathize with that perspective. But, it is not our role in a civil society to pick and choose the laws by which we will abide. Choosing not to follow some laws because we can get away with it or because we think the law is stupid is not a sufficient justification in my opinion. To the contrary, I think such perspective, whether it is in regard to a more minor law like dog licensing or a more significant law, is one that is damaging to our society and only prone to create strife and chaos within our community. If you can do it this with this law why can't others take the same perspective with other laws that they feel are stupid and they don't get anything in return for?

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by airjay75

...But, it is not our role in a civil society to pick and choose the laws by which we will abide. Choosing not to follow some laws because we can get away with it or because we think the law is stupid is not a sufficient justification in my opinion. To the contrary, I think such perspective, whether it is in regard to a more minor law like dog licensing or a more significant law, is one that is damaging to our society and only prone to create strife and chaos within our community. If you can do it this with this law why can't others take the same perspective with other laws that they feel are stupid and they don't get anything in return for?

That's a fair point. But I think that in practice--especially with laws against speeding--people will disobey a law if they believe it will benefit them, not hurt others, and not result in punishment. Very few of us don't go over 55 on the Beltway. Obviously, some laws are more important than others, but this is one that I think is stupid. I'm 100% for requiring pets to display proof of vaccination--but you get the metal tag from the vet's office. So the fee to the County is more like a donation--an optional one, I've discovered.