Matthew Allwein, state dog law enforcement officer walking through the borough of Shillington checking for dog licenses (photo courtesy of Ryan McFadden, Reading Eagle photographer)
BEWARE, Berks County residents, dog law enforcement will be on your tails if you have a dog in your home. At the urging of Governor Tom Corbett, “the campaign to increase awareness of licensing and vaccinations last month” is in full force.
If you find a dog warden decked out in law enforcement-style uniforms with proper identification, be sure to produce a license for any dog you have. You will also be asked to prove your dog has a current rabies vaccination. There are exceptions in which a dog is unable to receive a rabies vaccination including a dog with cancer.
If you can’t provide a license or proof of a rabies vaccine, be prepared to receive a citation with a fine of up to $300 plus court costs! That will take a bite out of your wallet.
What I find interesting is the officer walking through Shillington (Cumru Township) where 874 people had licensed dogs last year while the city of Reading has nearly 3,000 people with 2013 dog licenses as shown in the graph below (courtesy of Reading Eagle).
Why aren’t they starting with Reading residents? I believe there are even more people who don’t have licenses for their dogs in Reading. Could it be they know they can get more money from residents in the suburbs vs the city of Reading?
As you look at the top breeds of dogs in Berks County, notice the number of pit bulls and chihuahuas that were licensed last year. Those numbers seem small in comparison in a city of nearly 90,000 residents.
One only has to drive through the city or visit your local shelter who holds the city contract to see what the most popular breeds are in the city. It certainly isn’t the Labrador or the mixed breed. Pit bulls and Chihuahuas are the most popular breeds in Reading households. According to these figures, 1,304 Pit Bulls and 1,036 Chihuahuas were licensed last year.
There are alot of unlicensed dogs in the city of Reading. The dog wardens should begin there where the real problem lies.
The top ten licensed dog breeds in Berks County (2013)
As I ventured out today, I was shopping at a business (outskirts of Reading) that also sells dog licenses. People from all over were buying them the entire day because of the article in today’s paper. They didn’t have one city resident buying a license for his/her dog.
The campaign to increase awareness of licensing and vaccination is more about funding the Dog Law Enforcement Office than the safety of dogs and the public, in my opinion.
If Governor Tom Corbett was concerned about the safety of dogs, he would be aggressive toward fining puppy mills aka commercial breeding facilities where thousands of dogs are forced to live out their lives in the most horrid conditions to provide puppies for pet stores.
If Corbett is telling me he cares about the safety of the dogs’ health and welfare, he would shut down puppy mills! Instead, he has dog wardens checking on dog licenses rather than puppy mills in Pennsylvania. Seems like he’s barking up the wrong tree.
Time to get your dog(s) licensed to keep dog wardens off your tail.
graph courtesy of Reading Eagle
Corbett cares about animals? Now, that’s a joke.
Good points. People in Reading won’t pay for licenses for their pit bulls or chihuahuas. Have you seen the ARL? They are the two most popular breeds in there. They don’t come for them. Think they’ll pay for a license. So, they get away with not paying while others, once again, are forced to pay.
If Corbett is so adamant about the welfare of dogs, why isn’t he doing something about puppy mills? Licenses do help dogs get back home. Interestingly, cats don’t need licenses.
These officers are going to waste their time checking on license while we have lots of puppy mills to be checked. That’s so backwards! Hey, inspectors, do you realize how many dogs suffer inside the puppy mills. Do something about that!
OOOPS. Better get mine. I’m not paying 300! I always get one. Go after the real deadbeats in Reading.
Dog licenses are required by law. truth. What I don’t believe is Governor Corbett saying he cares about dogs.
We make all this fuss about dogs and licenses. Why aren’t cats licensed? If you think about it, it makes perfect sense but cat people are against and I don’t know why. Cats are killed much more frequently and in higher numbers than dogs in shelters. If they don’t have a license, they can kill it as soon as it comes in. For dogs, they must wait 48 hrs in PA and other states. If you have your cat licensed, your cat has a better chance of going home. Talk to any cat person, and they so, oh no. I don’t want cats licensed. It doesn’t work. Tell me WHY it doesn’t work! Give me logic!
I have a lifetime license. Cheaper and keep it on him at all times. It helped me when she was lost. I’m glad I have it. People can also have their pets microchipped. That helps to return pets to their homes.
I’d like to watch them walk door to door in Reading. not gonna happen. Word