ROCKVILLE, Md. — Just seven to 10 percent of all pet owners in Montgomery County get their dogs or cats licensed, local officials told the County Council’s Public Safety Committee on Thursday.
“In the state of Maryland, animal owners are required to produce a rabies vaccination certificate before they can license their pet,” Mary Healey, the outgoing director of the county’s Anima l Services and Adoption Center, told the panel.
Councilman Roger Berliner, who owns a dog, joked: “Finding that piece of paper sometimes can be — particularly if you saw my files — problematic.”
Another thing that makes licensing problematic: you can’t do it online. Not yet at least.
Healey acknowledged the hassle of having to collect the vaccination certificate, get a hard copy of the county application, and go through snail mail.
Officials say they’re trying to change that.
The animal services division is operated by Montgomery County Police. Assistant Chief Betsy Davis told the panel they’ve been working on a way to do it all on the Web.
“We were going pretty good,” Davis said, “and then all of the sudden — working with finance — there are security measures that have to be put in place for credit cards.”
The good news, Davis said, is that the latest snag had been overcome, but now the process of moving the contract along and implementing the online licensing has to run its course.
If all goes well with the contracting, Davis said the county could be ready for online licensing in as little as six weeks; if not, county residents may have to wait longer, perhaps until the end of the year.
In Montgomery County, dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies and they must be licensed.
Licenses cost $12 for animals that have been spayed or neutered.
Licenses for animals that have not been spayed or neutered cost $25.
Low-cost rates are available in some cases.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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