King County Pet licensing people knocked on my door... (Seattle: home, school)

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by mkarch

Do you brand them with the initials of your ranch to establish ownership?

My cat owns me. I don't think she got a license.

[PollyGlott]

I recently adopted 2 stray cats from the Humane Society, and the adoption fee included licensing them. They even sent me a follow-up letter to renew the licenses when they expire ... I had no idea cats were supposed to be licensed too!
The Humane Society also microchips them, which I think is great (even though they're basically indoor kitties, you never know if they'll escape).
But I see the cat licensing as more of a money-maker to defray the costs of rescuing/caring for them.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

If the dog has a license in another county, it would be very easy to have just showed to to the person at the door.

That's assuming OP would take the time to bring the dog to the door. It doesn't sound like he even gave them his friend's name?


I get where the OP's coming from though. They came to my door twice, it was about my neighbors... But it definitely left a huge sense of intrusion.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by PollyGlott

I recently adopted 2 stray cats from the Humane Society, and the adoption fee included licensing them. They even sent me a follow-up letter to renew the licenses when they expire ... I had no idea cats were supposed to be licensed too!
The Humane Society also microchips them, which I think is great (even though they're basically indoor kitties, you never know if they'll escape).
But I see the cat licensing as more of a money-maker to defray the costs of rescuing/caring for them.

The way I look at it is we spend a bunch of money on the cats as is, something like $120/mo each counting everything and I'd prefer to get them back if they got lost. Part of that is reducing the number of feral and unregistered cats the city has to pick up, house and sort through in the process.

[i_love_autumn]

Originally Posted by Tac-Sea

Looking for the previous homeowner. I recently bought the house and told her he doesn't live here anymore. She said she was here to renew their pet license. My guests dog was barking in the background. She asked if the dog was mine and I told her it was not, I have a guest staying with me. She told me I would need to get a license for my guests dog. I simply told her I don't see how I could be required to license the dog of a short term guest, and for that matter, how the government is going door to door inspecting peoples property, then closed the door on her.

She left a notice on my door stating that I have 72 hours to comply or get a $125 ticket per pet. WTF? I am NOT going to pay to license my short term guests dog considering they don't live in King County, and I don't see how it is legal for them to come to my house looking for someone else and then fine me for this or threaten to fine me for this. Should I call and speak to a supervisor, get a lawyer, or wait until I get a ticket then fight it in court? This is bs.

Sounds like a 'Police State'! Another reason not to move to Seattle!

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by i_love_autumn

Sounds like a 'Police State'! Another reason not to move to Seattle!

Actually, this is about King County, not Seattle. The City of Seattle has their own, separate program for pet licensing.

[Bernadette_]

Originally Posted by mkarch

It seems kind of labor intensive to send workers around to check on every house with a lapsed license unless someone reports it.

They canvas neighborhoods looking for unlicensed pets anyway... it seems less labor intensive to start with the homes that have expired licenses!

[Tac-Sea]

Originally Posted by mkarch

Because the house belongs to the OP, the dog is in the house, and aside from the observed "possession of an unlicensed dog" the county worker doesn't have much else to go on. I still think the reason the worker came by is because they had a dog complaint at a house that doesn't have a dog license. It seems kind of labor intensive to send workers around to check on every house with a lapsed license unless someone reports it.

You seem really hard of reading. I clearly stated in the very first few sentences in my OP that the county employee stated that she was there to renew the pet licenses for the previous owner. She did not realize they had moved. If you struggle understanding what has clearly been stated already, what good is your advice? Unbelievable...

[Tac-Sea]

Originally Posted by mkarch

Since you recently moved, they probably had the previous owner on the record. My guess is someone called in a complaint and whomever processed it saw there was an expired license on premises.

The other side of this is WHY in the world does the person staying with you not care enough about the dog to get it licensed? Dogs are expensive and with 4 legs they're quite capable of getting away and getting lost on their own. It seems negligent or lazy at best, and grossly negligent if the reason the dog isn't licensed is because it already has a er... "criminal" record - I think the limit is 3 aggressive incidents against humans. At the very least if the dog is lost theres a better much change of getting it back, assuming they want it back.

FWIW, I had a roommate that had moved from out in the country and didn't really 'get' why it made sense to have a dog neutered - until she jumped the fence and got knocked up - nor why someone would pay to for a chip - until she got lost while chasing a squirrel - or why it made sense to get a license - until animal control picked up the lost dog, couldn't locate the owner, then charged an even bigger fine to get the dog back.

This stuff seems obvious, but apparently not to everyone.

Ummm...not every county requires pet licenses. Furthermore, this is a scam to get money from people under the guise that 'it's good in case your pet get's lost, they have a tag'. My friends dog has a microchip implanted. Animal control scans these with an RFID reader. Why do I need to pay an annual fee to get a tag for my visiting friends pet? Common sense seems to be lost on you.

[strad]

Originally Posted by Tac-Sea

Ummm...not every county requires pet licenses. Furthermore, this is a scam to get money from people under the guise that 'it's good in case your pet get's lost, they have a tag'. My friends dog has a microchip implanted. Animal control scans these with an RFID reader. Why do I need to pay an annual fee to get a tag for my visiting friends pet? Common sense seems to be lost on you.

Ummm... Where do you think the money to pay for Animal Control comes from?