EDMONTON – When a dog or cat gets lost, the City of Edmonton wants to make sure the animal is returned to its rightful owner.
At Jackie Parker Park Saturday, the city launched its 2014 campaign aimed at getting pets licensed. Animal Care and Control officers were on hand to provide information to people on the importance of pet licences.
“No one plans for a cat or dog to get out, but unfortunately, our facility handles about 8,000 pets that do get out each year,” said David Eitken, manager of the City of Edmonton’s Community Standards Branch. “Unfortunately, some of those animals are euthanized. And if those animals are simply licensed, we can have them returned when the officers find them in the field.”
Eitken estimates the city issues about 31,000 cat licences and 65,000 dog licences each year. However, he believes that only covers about 35 per cent of the cats in Edmonton, and 65 per cent of the dogs.
“That really says that 65,000 cats aren’t licensed in Edmonton. So that’s a significant number,” added Eitken.
The annual fee for a licence for a spayed or neutered cat is $20. For dogs, the fee is $35.
“That money goes to food, shelter, medical care. It also supports the local humane society, education, emergency medical treatment for pets,” Eitken explained.
The fine for having an unlicensed animal is $250 per pet.
Licences can be obtained online, by mail or in person and must be renewed with the city every 12 months.
For more information on pet licences, visit the City of Edmonton’s website.
Watch below: Kevin O’Connell speaks with James Wilke with the city’s Animal Care & Pest Management department about the importance of licensing your pets
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