Is your dog unlicensed? How much it’ll cost you if you get a citation in Stanislaus County
After months of canvassing neighborhoods to get the word out to owners to license their dogs, Stanislaus Animal Service Agency officers now are issuing $251 citations to those who have not.
Owners of unlicensed dogs can avoid a citation when animal control knocks on their door by licensing their dog right at that time. Licenses are $12 for an altered dog and $150 for an unaltered one. The licenses are half that for seniors 65 and older.
That option is available only to owners whose dogs have current rabies vaccinations. SASA Executive Director Vaughn Maurice said Wednesday that owners whose dogs are not current will be fined $251, and Animal Services will follow up with them to ensure they come into compliance.
During the pandemic, dog owners became lax about renewing their dogs’ licenses and the Animal Services Agency became lax about enforcement, resulting in about two-thirds of the dogs in the county now being unlicensed.
Maurice said his agency started canvassing neighborhoods in February, issuing warnings to people to license their dogs. He said officers started issuing citations about a month ago. And the number of officers going door to door has increased from two to three. This effort will continue indefinitely.
The enforcement is in the agency’s coverage area of Modesto, Ceres, Waterford, Patterson, Hughson and all unincorporated parts of the county. Stanislaus County’s other cities operate their own animal services.
Maurice said licensing a dog allows for lost pets to be quickly reunited with their owners because the information on the tag lets animal control officers or neighbors contact the owner.
Most dogs are current on their rabies vaccinations, Maurice said. For those that aren’t, Animal Services is holding a rabies vaccination clinic Oct. 18 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The shots are $10 and are good for three years.
Owners will need to make an appointment on the agency’s website, www.stanislausanimalservices.com. Owners also can license their dogs on the website or at the agency, 3647 Cornucopia Way, Modesto.
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 8:48 AM.
