At the November 14 Council meeting, a decision was made that is sure to make the Township’s dog owners smile. Consistent with other municipalities in the area, Council decided to eliminate dog tag requirements for North Dundas dog owners.
“Staff brought the dog tags report to Council as a means to get direction,” explained Councillor Matthew Uhrig. “In the end, it was an easy Council decision to eliminate dog tag sales and amend the By-law to read that dog owners must have some form of identification for their dog should it get out and end up in the jointly shared dog pound, or elsewhere.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, door-to-door dog tag sales were suspended. This January was slated to be the first time since the onset of the pandemic that dog tag sales were to have resumed. A report was prepared for Council with all of the options available regarding dog tags. These options included:
- continue with the current dog tag sales and return to door-to-door sales in 2024,
- remove the bi-annual renewal of dog tags and create a lifetime tag for dogs,
- eliminate dog tags altogether, and
- keep dog licences but make them voluntary (for those seeking a way for their dog to be identified and returned, should it become lost).
Councillor Uhrig explained that one of the reasons neighbouring municipalities have done away with dog tag sales is because of advancing technology that has seen many dog owners purchasing tags with QR codes or other more modern ways of having their dog identified if lost.
“It isn’t an efficient system, nor is it economically viable from a Township perspective,” said Councillor Uhrig regarding door-to-door dog tag sales. “There are upstart costs, as well as training and the need to find folks willing to take on the sales. In the past, there has been verbal abuse at the doorstep, as residents feel they don’t need to purchase a tag or participate.”
North Dundas residents will now be responsible for deciding how to identify their dog should it become lost, with options such as tags and microchips.