Santa Barbara County ACOs going door-to-door

    • Gold Top Dog

    Santa Barbara County ACOs going door-to-door

    $11 and $22 fines, well in my area it's a $210 fine per dog, anyway, those living in this area might like to read the following from this link:-
    http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2008/04/02/news/centralcoast/news05.txt
     
    The Lampoc Record
    April 2, 2008
    April is ‘amnesty month' for dog owners
    By Sam Womack/Staff Writer
     
    Dog owners have a month to get their animals licensed before animal control officers come knocking at their doors.
     
    Santa Barbara County Animal Services started its third annual dog license canvass Tuesday, with officers going door-to-door throughout the county to increase animal licensing and rabies vaccinations. The campaign is expected to last approximately four months.
     
    During April, dog owners can bring in their pets' proof of rabies vaccination and get them licensed without paying any fine for owning an unlicensed dog. After the amnesty period expires, owners caught with an unlicensed dog will pay a $22 fine.
     
    Although dog license tags are often used to return lost pets to their homes and keep them safe, the most important use of pet licenses is to ensure that the animals have been vaccinated for rabies, Animal Services Director Jan Glick said.
     
    Glick said every year skunks and bats in the area are tested for rabies after they've been in contact with humans or domesticated animals. And in the spring and summer, rabies is more prevalent in the wild animal population.
     
    A 16-year-old boy died from rabies March 18 in Santa Maria, Glick noted.
     
    “We encourage everyone to get their dogs rabies vaccinations and come on in to your closest animal shelter and get them licensed,” she said. “Licensing protects the public, the community and your pets.”
     
    In Santa Barbara county, rabies vaccinations and dog licenses are required for all dogs four months and older.
     
    Licenses for spayed or neutered dogs are $17 and $39 for unaltered pets. An $11 fine is the penalty for unlicensed altered dogs and $22 fine is the fine for unlicensed unaltered dogs.
     
    Dog owners can license their pets or get more information by contacting animal shelters in Lompoc (737-7755), Santa Maria (934-6119) or Goleta (681-5285).
     
    Sam Womack can be reached at 739-2218 or swomack@lompocrecord.com.
     
    April 2, 2008

    • Gold Top Dog

    this is dumber than a seat belt law..... this is common sense people!! why do you have to be forced into getting your dogs vaccinated?? it isnt that expensive to have done...... jeez...

    its a good idea i'll agree but to have them go door to door is crazy. and it shows that they'll probably do the same if they pass the MSN law .... 

    • Gold Top Dog

    Plus its only rabbies vaccines, not the whole vaccine package. I make sure my dogs are registered and I take them with me personally to pay so the cahmber see's what nice happy dogs I have

    • Gold Top Dog
    I think it's great. It may seem like common sense to us, but remember how many people are negligent owners. Why only rabies? Because rabies, being zoonotic and highly fatal,  is a public health issue. Other canine diseases like parvo are not contagious to humans. They aren't trying to control dog owners lives, they are following up on  a public health concern....I think they have every right to make sure dogs are licensed and rabies vaxed.
    • Gold Top Dog

    Ha--I just renewed our dogs' licenses today and they didn't even glance at the shot record I brought..... 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I agree that getting a rabies shot is a no-brainer!!  However, registering is another matter altogether.

    With the attempt to get mandatory spay/neuter laws in California, I would be very reluctant to register an intact animal.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I had this happen eons ago, with a mix dog I owned prior to Babe. They were very nice and polite, I was in the clear but several of my neighbors were not.

    In today's day and age, I too would hesitate to register an un altered dog, if fact Kord is UTD always has been, but before he was neutered I did not register him because of that fact and the current dog laws and lawsuits that were going on here. I registered him 30 days after his neuter.

    In most cases it is a revenue thing. They have offered some really cheap s/n clinics around town and even a couple of vac clinics here recently.