Pinellas County Enforces Pet Licensing
Cats and Dogs: Update your Rabies Vaccine and County License
Doc Truli has heard from several clients about dog and cat Pinellas County pet license enforcement. Animal Control Officers recently went door-to-door on Woodbine Street, and requested County licenses to be presented for inspection. Neighbors found not to have current rabies vaccines and dog and cat licenses had their pets impounded. It can be expensive and emotionally draining to have your pet impounded and subsequently released to your care, so please call us today to get your rabies vaccine and license, or to inquire if you are not sure if your pet is up to date on the license.
Why Do We Have to Have Pet Licensing?
Many people assume the pet licensing laws were invented to generate money for the county. Actually, the laws are put into place as part of a comprehensive rabies prevention public health policy.
Did You Know?
Pinellas County, Florida…”has more dogs and cats licensed and vaccinated for rabies than any other Florida County. This provides the first line of defense against rabies, and it results in more animals being reunited with their owners than in any other Florida County. For more information contact Animal Services at (727) 582-2600.”
Who Needs a License?
Cats, dogs, ferrets, sheep, horses, and cattle who have reached the age of four months old must have a rabies vaccine in the State of Florida.
In Pinellas County, every cat and dog must have a county license. To save taxpayers’ money, since 2009, lifetime county tags/licenses have been issued. This program saves paperwork and money by assigning a unique pet license number and tag to your pet. You pet keeps the same “tag” or “license” for a lifetime, while you pay your licensing fee and send in your paperwork every 1 or 3 years, depending on the age of your pet and the rabies vaccine they received. The fee for the 1 year or the 3 year is $20.
What Can Happen If I Don’t Have the License?
Your pet can be impounded by an Animal Control Officer. Impounding means your pet is taken to the shelter and you cannot have them back until you pay for the rabies vaccine, license, and pay boarding fees at the impound.
To get your pet back from the County Impound, you must also either pay an impound fee, or pay a fee to have an intact pet spayed or castrated, and Pinellas County will waive the impound fee.
Impound Expenses (please refer to Pinellas County for up-to-date and accurate fees: fines and rules subject to change.)
Impoundment fee:
Charges assessed for reclaiming your lost or impounded pet:
- Sterilized pet = $50
- Intact pet = $80
- Board per day = $10
If your pet does not have a current county pet license or rabies vaccination, they will be required at the time of reclaiming your pet:
- License = $20
- Rabies vaccination = $5
When unaltered (reproductively intact) animals are impounded and reclaimed by the owner, an incentive will be offered at that time to have the animal spayed/neutered at a low cost and, in addition, the impound fees will be waived. The boarding fees will still be assessed per each day the animal was in the shelter.
Low-Cost Spaying & Neutering Fees:
- Spay – Dog = $40
- Spay – Cat =$30
- Neuter – Dog =$30
- Neuter – Cat =$20
Get Your Pet License(s)
In summary, be sure your cats and dogs have their up-to-date Pinellas County licenses. The County does enforce the law and your pets do have to have their licenses.
References
Pinellas County Website regarding Animal Services, including licenses
I have a question about my dogs license. Im about to get my dog fixed but they require me show proof of rabies shots. I have the tag number but wanted to check and see how up to date my dogs rabies shots are. Is there any way I can look up my dogs tag number and see when thier rabies shot expires. please help. Thanks Jess
Nope. No online look-up for the public in Pinellas County, Florida. You can get the info from your vet. You should have been issued a Rabies Certificate when you got the vaccine. You may have that in your paperwork at home.
-Doc Truli
really should be someplace for us to look up our pets rabies and tag numbers online.. everything else is online… moving…and just plain life makes it easy to lose or misplace papers with needed info…
Agree! But there’s not. The Pinellas County Animal Services office is very helpful- (727) 582-2600
Hi, My cat is due for all his shots( including Rabies ). My vet said that he has the certificate of the shots from last year. I don’t have that certificate, or the tags for proof> How do I get a copy of the certificate? Isn’t the Vet supposed to give me a copy? Where do I get the tags?. Thanks. Steve Shifrin.
Dear Steve,
Any veterinarian in the United States needs to keep accurate records, including records of rabies vaccines. Call the vet who gave the rabies vaccine for proof of the vaccine that you can use to update your cat’s registration with the appropriate local authorities, aka “tags.” Many veterinarians are contracted with local pet licensing authorities to sell you the “tags” on behalf of the authority. The veterinarian who administered the vaccine should be able to guide you.
Good Luck!
Doc Truli
Can you go to jail for not showing proof of your dog license and shots? Even if you gave the dog away?
Dear Ashley,
I am a veterinarian, not a legal expert. The rules and laws governing dog licenses are different for each town or county in America. You can check with your local Animal Control. Here in Pinellas County, FLorida, there is a fine if you own the dog and you do not have a pet license. You can call animal control and let them know you gave the dog away, just like you report when you gave a car away so you are not held responsible for the dog after he or she is no longer yours. I have a link in the right sidebar on this website to the local animal control websites in my area of Florida.
Good luck!
Dr Truli