Dog Licensing in Portage County

In Portage County 29,036 dogs have been licensed for 2017 through the auditor’s office. Dogs ranging from Yorkshire terriers to Giant Schnauzers to German Shepherds are all registered with the state of Ohio. These dogs are all in the Dog Tag search through the dog warden’s page on the Portage County auditor’s website.

According to Ohio Revised Code chapter 955.1, the licensing of any dog over three months of age will take place from December 1 to January 31. The application for a license will state the age, sex, character of hair, whether it is short or long, breed, and the name and address of the owner.

Donna Roberts is in charge of dog licensing through the auditor’s office in Portage County.

“Licensing your dog is not only a state law but makes dog owners more responsible,” Roberts said, “If the dog has it’s dog tag on him/her and they would happen to get lost or run off, someone could call in to the Auditor’s office and we can look up all the information on the dog’s owner to return the dog back to it’s owner.”

For most dogs, there are three types of licenses. The one year license in Portage County cost $15.00, 3 year license $45.00 and a permanent license cost $150.00. 475 3-year licenses and 83 permanent licenses were sold in the past year.

“You can purchase the dog license through the Auditor’s office or the Dog Warden or several outlets that sell them for us during the selling period.  White’s Farm Supply in Atwater, Aurora Veterinary Clinic, Garrettsville Animal Hospital, Mantua Veterinary Clinic all sell them during the selling period of December 1st through January 31st,” Roberts said, “The Auditor’s Office, Dog Warden, Brady Lake Post Office, Kent License Bureau in Brimfield, Centerra County Store in Ravenna and the Streetsboro License Bureau all sell them throughout the whole year.”

The locations marked with green are locations that sell licenses year-round. The locations marked in red only sell during the December 1-January 31 window.

“The online dog registration was up and running on Friday, December 1st when the dog license went on sale,” Roberts said, “If you purchase the dog license at the Auditor’s office, Dog Warden or one of the outlets you will get your dog license immediately.  If you purchase is online from our website then I receive the orders here at the Auditor’s office the following Monday then I fill the orders and mail them out that same day.”

There is a fee for each type of license when applying online. There’s a $2.25 fee for the one-year license, a $3.25 fee on top of the three-year license, and a $9.25 fee for a permanent license. 

There are exceptions to the rule. Dogs over nine months of age that have not been spayed or neutered cost more, unless they are specifically designated as needing to not be spayed or neutered. Some reasons for this are being used for breeding, for show, for hunting, or due to some sort of sickness or health condition. Any service or guide dogs are registered for free for their entire life.

Two specific types of exceptions are kennel licenses and dangerous dog licenses. 31 dangerous dog licenses and 88 kennel licenses were sold in the past year.

“A kennel license means an establishment that keeps, houses, and maintains adult dogs for the purpose of breeding the dogs for a fee of other consideration received through a sale, exchange, or lease and that is not a high volume breeder.” said Roberts, “The fee for a kennel license is $75.00 and they receive 5 dog tags/licenses, which will cover the whole kennel of dogs whether it be 5 or 15 dogs, etc. But if they need any additional tags/licenses above the 5 they can purchases additional tags for $1.00 each at the time they purchase their kennel license.”

“Councils can classify a dog as dangerous if the owner is convicted of an offence where their dog has rushed at someone and caused harm or damage. Or on the basis of sworn evidence, the dog is believed to be a threat to public safety.  Or the owner has admitted in writing that the dog is a threat to public safety. The cost for a dangerous dog license is $50.00 per year plus the cost of a regular dog license,” said Roberts.  

The following must be attached to the dangerous dog registration application: evidence of the dog’s current rabies vaccination, evidence of the fact the dog has been spayed or neutered, evidence that the dog has an active microchip and the microchip number, evidence of the fact that you have posted clearly visible “Dangerous Dog” warning signs, and, if ordered by the courts, evidence of liability insurance.

“Money in the dog and kennel fund shall be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of furnishing all blanks, records, tags, nets, and other equipment,” Roberts said, “It will also be used for the compensation of county dog wardens, deputies and pound keepers. Ten cents per tag is given to the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio State University for research and development.”

After the deadline has passed and the auditor’s office has entered all the dog registrations in the computer the dog warden will run a report of who did not renew their dog license. The dog warden, David McIntyre, and his staff will call each person who did not renew their license to see if they still have their dog, if they still live in Portage County, or even just to remind them they forgot to renew their license. Once the dog warden’s staff has made all their phone calls they go door-to-door. Again, the deadline for licensing for 2018 is January 31st.