Dog Licensing Responsibilities Handed to Local Government

The Brookhaven town clerk's office is all set to handle a bit of added responsibility after a smooth transition from state to local handling of dog licensing.

Responsibility for the issuance of dog tags, record-keeping and license renewals was transferred from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to local governments as part of Gov. David Paterson's 2010-2011 state budget plan, according to Brookhaven's public information officer, Jack Krieger.

The change went into effect Jan. 1.

Krieger said in an email that Brookhaven will now issue its own bone-shaped tags.

A fee of $2.50 is required to license a spayed or neutered dog, while those unspayed or unneutered will cost $15.50. Purebred dogs can be licensed for $25, $50 or $100, depending on the number of purebreds already harbored on the owner's property.

Krieger said the shift from state handling of licensing to the town's should speed the process of returning lost dogs to their owners, as it will be easier for residents who find a dog to call local shelters.

The situation was discussed with some apprehension at the incorporated village of Poquott's Sept. 30 board meeting, with mayor Barbara Donovan calling the impending shift a "disaster." While villages would have been able to set their own fees, she said the potential for financial burden on the smaller villages was too great because it would require contracts with local animal shelters.

Questions of jurisdiction and liability for injured pets were among concerns raised at the meeting, but deputy village clerk Joe Newfield said that a subsequent discovery in the village's records quelled any fears.

"We already passed a resolution that gave that responsibility to the town of Brookhaven," said Newfield. He said it had been passed more than two decades ago.