OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Starting Tuesday, officials in Ottawa County will be going door-to-door in an effort to make sure dog owners have their pets properly licensed.
Michigan state law requires all dogs to be licensed if they are four months of age or older. The cost of a license varies from $10 to $70.
Households with unlicensed dogs will be given information on how and where to obtain a license. Those who choose to not follow through on licensing risk being ticketed.
“In many households, pets are part of the family,” said Shannon Felgner, Communications Manager for Ottawa County in a recent press release. “Licensing your dog dramatically increases the odds of your pet being returned to you if it is ever lost. A dog license can be the difference between your dog finding its way home or being kept in a shelter. All in all, getting a dog license is part of being a responsible dog owner.”
According to that same press release, there were 17,878 active dog licenses in Ottawa County in 2012. Officials believe that this accounts for only about a third of the actual dogs living within the county. In 2003, the number of dogs licensed peaked at 20,628 but has steadily declined since then.
Dog licenses can be purchased online, by mail, or in-person in either one- or three-year increments. Owners must provide a current rabies certificate and proof of spaying or neutering, if applicable.
Additional information on how and where to obtain dog licenses in Ottawa County can be found here.
