Kent city officials urge owners to license pets

Owners of unlicensed dogs and cats have until Oct. 1 to register their pets in order to avoid a fine.

The city of Kent has started a campaign to get owners to license their pets as part of the new Regional Animal Services program that serves King County and 27 cities.

In Kent and King County, all dogs and cats, whether they are indoor pets or not, must be licensed each year, according to a city of Kent media release.

Besides helping your pet return home if it gets lost, the money raised from animal licensing provides regular updates when rabies vaccinations are due, funds animal cruelty investigations, provides resources to address complaints about vicious animals and helps care for injured and lost animals and pet adoptions.

The license for spayed or neutered animals costs $30 per year. The cost of a license for unspayed or unneutered pets is $60. There are discounts for disabled and senior residents as well as owners of pets ages 6 months or younger.

The fine for having an unlicensed pet is $125 for a spayed animal and $250 for an unspayed pet.

“I’m willing to bet a lot of people don’t even know they’re supposed to license their pets, especially if they don’t go outside,” said Jamie Perry, Kent City Council president.

Last year, almost 2,000 animals were impounded at the Kent Shelter.

Several City Council members and their pets are lending their names to help get the word out about the importance of animal licensing. Along with their furry friends, Council members Perry, Dennis Higgins, Deborah Ranniger and Elizabeth Albertson will appear on promotional materials for the city’s licensing campaign.

Licensing fees currently fund about 60 percent of Regional Animal Services. The cities and county want to increase that percentage to help make the program more self sufficient.

To make the process as convenient for owners as possible, canvassers from Regional Animal Services will perform door-to-door visits in Kent to help license pets. They will provide a license tag on the spot for new and renewed licenses.

There will be no extra charge for this door-to-door licensing service through September, but unlicensed animals after that time may be charged a fee if they are not licensed.

Dog and cat owners are encouraged to obtain a pet license as soon as possible or renew their existing license so that they are in compliance.

Owners can get licenses online or at eight locations in Kent including:

Animal Clinic of Kent, 24416 104th Ave. S.E., 253-859-1520; King County Animal Shelter, 21615 64th Ave. S., 206-296-7387; Kent City Hall, 220 Fourth Ave. S., 253-856-5200; Kent License Inc., 331 Washington Ave. S., 253-852-3110; Licensing Office at Maleng Justice Center, 401 Fourth Ave. N. No. 1A, 206-205-7330; QFC store, 13304 S.E. 240th St., 253-630-3560; Reber Ranch, 28606 132nd Ave. S.E., 253-630-3330; Sawyer Lake Veterinary Hospital, 28727 216th Ave. S.E., 360-886-8000.

For a complete list of license fees, how to license your pet online and other information, visit www.kentpetlicense.com.

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