Saying an usually low number of dogs are registered with the town, police are urging residents to ensure their canines are licensed or risk a citation and fine.
Currently, about 2,700 dogs in New Canaan are licensed with the municipality as per state law, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. The figure has neared 3,000 in recent years and the difference could be due to move-ins, Halm said.
“Everybody should have done this by June,” Halm said, referring to the annual license period. “And my philosophy is that if I can do it, anybody can do it. It can be done by mail. I get it: it’s one of those nagging errands that you keep putting off, but it is the law. And we are obligated to fulfill our end of it.”
A failure to license summons carries a $75 fine.
Halm said she recently sent out 22 written warnings to dog owners with whom she’s had recent conversations about their pets, the final step prior to ticketing. In all, Halm said, her list of “delinquent” owners whose dogs had been licensed in the past but are not currently registered is at about 100.
Under state law, all dogs at least six months old must be licensed in the town where they resided. Proof of current rabies vaccination and spaying or neutering, if applicable, must be provided at the time of the application. More information is available here.