BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Police Department’s animal control officer is reminding local pet owners to purchase dog licenses for 2015 or face fines of up to $100 if they’re caught with an unlicensed dog.
Overall, dog licenses issued by the city of Bangor this year are up 15 percent to date, Animal Control Officer Trisha Bruen said Tuesday.
But 1,100 residents who purchased licenses last year still have not done so this year, she said.
Bruen estimated about half of those are people who should have purchased a license but did not. The rest, she said, could be because of dog deaths, owners who have moved or owners who have given away their dogs.
In the coming weeks, Bruen said she will attempt to track down the outstanding dog owners to determine whether they should have purchased a license. Cats and other animals kept as pets are not required to be licensed.
The primary purpose of the licensing program, she said, is to help prevent the spread of rabies by ensuring all dogs are properly vaccinated.
“There’s nothing worse than having a dog bite someone and having to tell them that we just don’t know,” she said.
Bruen said the city has issued 2,338 dog licenses for 2015, up from the 1,992 licenses issued for 2014.
She said the increased number of licenses this year could be because of increased enforcement that includes better tracking of dogs adopted from the Bangor Humane Society as well as early reminders from the city clerk’s office, which issues the licenses.
Anyone renewing a dog license after Feb. 1 will face a late fee of $25 per dog. That’s in addition to the standard $6 fee for fixed dogs or $11 fee for unaltered dogs.
Any owner caught with an unlicensed dog could be ticketed and fined up to $100, according to city code.
Five dollars from each dog license goes to the state’s animal welfare program, which investigates animal cruelty cases. Dog licenses are available at the city clerk’s office at Bangor City Hall.
Bruen also reminded pet owners that state law prohibits them from leaving any animal in a vehicle when “extreme heat or extreme cold will be harmful to its health.”
Because of the current cold weather, she said, complaints regarding animals left in vehicles or outside have climbed to 10 to 15 a week compared to just a few last year.
Bruen admits language in the state law is not specific, leaving it to the individual police officer to determine whether the animal is in danger, depending on the temperature, type of animal and duration of stay in the vehicle.
As a general rule, Bruen says, “if it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them.”
If convicted of animal cruelty for leaving a pet in a vehicle during extreme weather, state law sets fines of $500 to $1,000 for a first offense and $1,000 to $5,000 for a second offense.
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