Me and Maricopa County Animal Control are not getting along (credit, taxes)

[ReadyFreddy]

One time I lucked upon "National Rabies Awareness Week" in March and got free rabies vaccines at the pound. I don't know if they still do that. It was maybe 5 years ago.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by observer53

She would have to get the dog vaccinated again anyway, here or there, before licensing because the vaccine term is almost up. (3 years). If she comes and tries to register in August, they will see that the vaccine period will expire before the license period of one year will, and require a new vaccine. So, she could just as well wait until March.

Lol, so you're telling me that is going to be my next battle? This dogs rabies cert will expire before the license period does so they are going to want me to go get it vaccinated now to get the license?

Seems they would license it now since it is valid and I'd have to show it was re-vaccinated prior to the next due date?

I don't want to have to vaccinate the dog almost a year early.

[Vinny536]

Maricopa county animal control was a huge pain for us too. they sent us demand letters for not registering our dog in maricopa county, threatening "legal action". At the time we lived in Pinal county, and prior to that date the dog never lived in maricopa county. The dog was properly registered in Pinal county since she was a puppy...

[observer53]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

Lol, so you're telling me that is going to be my next battle? This dogs rabies cert will expire before the license period does so they are going to want me to go get it vaccinated now to get the license?

Seems they would license it now since it is valid and I'd have to show it was re-vaccinated prior to the next due date?

I don't want to have to vaccinate the dog almost a year early.

I don't actually know for sure how they would handle that, but I could see them doing that. If the two dates are that close together, they may let it go.

[pandaundercover]

This has seriously got to be the worst state to own a dog. Do other states have a "register your dog and waste money on fees" system? Granted, if you don't want to deal with it, just don't register your dog in the first place.... but you can't turn back the clock now. My husband didn't want me to register ours... after all... the city didn't know we had dogs at the time. But I caved, registered them, and paid nearly $60 in penalties by the time I decided to register them. I guess they were fine with the penalty length I decided on... from the moment we obtained the pets. I guess the most annoying thing is that after I registered them, I got another registration form for one of the dogs the NEXT MONTH, b/c his "year" was up, since they base them on when they were first vaccinated or when you claim to first obtained them, not sure which.

You could always take this issue to the local news... they seem have some powers of making agencies/businesses cower into corners and letting people off from original charges.

I do wonder, what would happen, if you just lied and said your dog was deceased or that you're not the owner anymore. It's not like they show up at your house to check.

[DR2012]

Oh crap I did not know I had to register my dogs to live here! Guess I'm off to get this taken care of.
In the 3 other states I've lived in (and foreign country) we've never had to register our dogs (except on the air force base, which is FREE) very weird.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by DR2012

Oh crap I did not know I had to register my dogs to live here! Guess I'm off to get this taken care of.
In the 3 other states I've lived in (and foreign country) we've never had to register our dogs (except on the air force base, which is FREE) very weird.

It's licensing, actually. It serves several purposes-- making sure dogs are rabies vaccinated, gives you a way to get them back if they get lost, and helps pay for animal control expenses. And, the lower price for spayed/neutered dogs encourages that, too. I'm surprised you haven't seen it elsewhere, it's hardly unique to AZ.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by observer53

and helps pay for animal control expenses.

I wonder what the percentage is of dogs that require "animal control" services are actually licensed? If I were a betting man I'd bet that responsible people who follow the law and license their dogs rarely need "animal control" and we're subsidizing all those who don't bother to register their dogs and end up needing their services.

[ReadyFreddy]

Sadly, yes. That's how a lot of 'public goods' work.

[DR2012]

Originally Posted by observer53

It's licensing, actually. It serves several purposes-- making sure dogs are rabies vaccinated, gives you a way to get them back if they get lost, and helps pay for animal control expenses. And, the lower price for spayed/neutered dogs encourages that, too. I'm surprised you haven't seen it elsewhere, it's hardly unique to AZ.

That makes sense. Nah I haven't seen it elsewhere - but my first state I didn't own a dog, so who knows. My last 2, no. And with us being military if that was the rule, it would have been told to us at briefings. I had heard of something like it in Louisiana, but it was mostly for kennels, breeding, dangerous breeds, hunting breeds, if the dog was not confined in a fenced area (roamed free on country lands, etc) and things that did not apply to us. We registered our dogs on the military base and had their vaccinations done there, so maybe that is why too, that sufficed I guess.

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I wonder what the percentage is of dogs that require "animal control" services are actually licensed? If I were a betting man I'd bet that responsible people who follow the law and license their dogs rarely need "animal control" and we're subsidizing all those who don't bother to register their dogs and end up needing their services.

Agree. I've owned my dogs for 8.5 years - they were spayed at the first chance, they were microchipped as well, ALWAYS have vacinnations on time, and they've never gotten out of our yard, NEVER been loose. I would die if they did.