This is by far one of the dumbest laws I have come across. Why do I need a license to keep my dog? I would understand if this was a state-wide law, but the only cities in Texas that require you to register your pet are Clute, Freeport, Houston, Irving, Lake Jackson, and University Park. What a list! I called and told them I had no intention of paying the $50 annual fee and asked what the consequences would be. I was told I would be subject to a fine and they would have the ability to detain my pet and even euthanize in some situations. My dog is only 4.5lbs and strictly an indoor pet. This is such a joke! Anyways, I first called up my vet and told him that my girlfriend and I broke up and the dog has moved out with her to Sugar Land and that I would not be needing his services any longer. I then proceeded to call those in charge of animal licensing and told them the same story. My gf did move out to Sugar Land so I can just use her address when I visit my new vet next year. I think I'm off the hook for good. This whole process was painless and took all but 5 minutes to handle this morning. So now I'm going to ask is anyone here actually stupid enough to pay the fee and register your pet? What are you getting in return if you did get the license? I'm not seeing what exactly the city is trying to accomplish besides collecting extra tax. If anything, it's deterring pet owners from going to the vet to get vaccines. If I'm responsible enough and spend all this time and money to keep my pet healthy, why would I let it roam the streets unsolicited?
When I had a dog a few years ago, I never registered him with the city. I never even called them to make some bs story as to why I didn't register him. I just didn't register him.
Yep, can't understand why you took the time to even call the city. Another thing to consider, though it wouldn't matter for you dog, but does for some of us, laws can change. In Denver, when they adopted breed specific legislation against pit bulls (which for one, isn't even a breed, so the law was moronic from the start), current pit bulls in the city were NOT grandfathered...meaning the city started with registered pet owner lists, went to people's houses, took their dogs and killed them. If you are not entirely concerned with these types of things, registering with the city does no harm other than taking money out of your wallet, but certainly things like micro-chipping, proper collars and tags, and keeping your pet in good health are much more important and better uses of your pet $'s.
somewhat interesting article from the chron a month ago http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2009_4801067 It's showdown time over licensing of pets City to enforce 1985 law requiring vets to turn over rabies shot records VETS: Daily fine up to $500 a possibility
My neighbor's dog tried to hump my leg and now thanks to this law he is a registered pet sex offender.
+ R.I.P. redefined's pet. I literally "LOL'd" after I read your post, sir. Thank you very much. You sure showed that horny b*stard. Q: Does he have to post a "no legs within 100 feet" sign?
I took the time to call because I received a notice in the mail this weekend notifying me that I didn't register my pet yet. Naturally I was confused as to why my vet didn't tell me he was going to hand over all my vaccination records to the city (which is another law) and that I would need a license for my dog. As if this is something I was supposed to be familiar with. But if 96% of pet owners in Houston aren't registering, then I'm not going to worry about it.
I had registered my dog years ago before BARC was in its current mess. It was a 2-year registration. The following year, they sent me a letter saying I had to renew my registration. So, I called them and told them I was registered for 2 years. They said they had no record of that and I would have to renew. I blew them off since then. That was my first brush with the incompetence that is BARC. I suppose now that they want to fix the department, they'll try to enforce their rules again. They've got a long uphill battle to regain people's respect. There's no way they get many people to pay for registrations in the near future.
