Has anyone else found it incredibly difficult getting a license for their dog?

I always knew that a license was generally something that my city required if you had a dog, but since Sadie is my first dog, I didn’t know any specific details. So as soon as I brought my new puppy home, I called the city to find out what to do. They said call back next year, since dogs doesn’t need a license in my town until they are at least a year old. After Sadie’s first birthday at the end of May last year, I called the city to ask about the paperwork. They said just forget about it until 2014 since she was still a puppy for much of 2013. When January 2014 came around, I went into City Hall myself to do the paperwork. But they refused to give Sadie a license. Apparently in order to get a license in my city, the dog’s rabies shot must be valid through October 31st of that year. Sadie was supposed to get her next rabies shot on October 5th. So I was told that although I’m required by law to have a license for my dog, they couldn’t issue a license for her. Try again next year. This was becoming very frustrating, but I once again put off the issue to be dealt with in 2015.

Then one morning the doorbell rings and Sadie runs to look out the window and starts barking. I go downstairs and find this bright orange notice on my door.

Apparently animal control discovered I had an unlicensed dog and I was required to call them immediately to deal with the issue. So I called in a few times and eventually got someone to answer the phone. I first asked how they knew I had a dog, fearing that some neighbor was complaining for some reason. It turns out my city had hired college students to walk up and down our streets and every time something barked at them, they would check a list and if no dog was listed for that house, they were to leave the animal control notice. So basically Sadie turned herself in. Anyway, I explained the situation to the person on the phone and they confirmed that they could not issue Sadie a license, so nothing could be done until next year. They said there was no need to worry, animal control was just doing a dog census, and were more concerned about accurate numbers than licenses.

About a month later I got a letter in the mail. This time the city threatened to take me to court if I didn’t get Sadie a license. But every time I tried, they refused to give one to her. I couldn’t believe how ridiculous the situation was becoming! While I was still deciding what to do next, I took Sadie to her annual exam and talked to the vet about my issues with the city. She said that Sadie was now an appropriate size for the three year rabies vaccine. So that very day the vet gave Sadie the three year rabies shot so that I could immediately file for a license and wouldn’t have to worry about being taken to court.

Today Sadie’s license finally came in the mail. We are no longer rebels facing a summons to court for failing to possess a license the city refused to give me multiple times. I can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for the next two years. In three years the problem will start all over again, as Sadie’s rabies shot will be up in June, not October.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love Is Being Owned By a Husky.