As a new pet owner, do we need to license our pet dog in Ontario? What happens if we don't license our pet dog?

Question

We had always wanted to have our own pet dog because we love animals. Our neighbors had dogs of their own and until recently we used to always play with their dog whenever it comes out to play with us. In the last we haven't had a chance to get our own pet dog due to lack of time on our hands. We were working long hours at work during the week and on our off days in the weekend, we were too busy with our kids and other house work.

We already had our hands full just by taking care of our kids and pet dogs as I have seen, is like having another kid in our family. Unlike our actual kid, pet dog will have to taken care of throughout it's entire life. We need to feed it, take it out for walk, take it out for poop, pee, grooming, washing, visit to veterinary. My neighbor talks about their pet dog quite often, and in the beginning it sounded challenging enough to handle. But as time went by, we decided that it might be worth a try.

We were ready for any challenge it brings in keeping a pet dog. Our urge and desire for spending time with a pet dog overcame our fear of owning one. One thing we were not too sure about was if we need to license our pet dog. We haven't bought a pet dog yet but we are definitely decided to get one very soon. I can't say if the neighbors had their dog license done, and I don't feel quite right in asking them if they did. What if they didn't license their dog and they might feel we are digging too much into their private matter.

Answer 1

1. A dog license must be purchased for every dog owner in Ontario and it must be renewed every year for a fee. The license comes in the form of a tag which can be attached to the dog's collar. Failure to purchase a dog license may result in penalties and fines for the owner by the city.

2. When your dog is licensed, in case your dog is lost, people can find information about the owner of the dog and how the owner can be reached. If the finder does give it up to the animal shelter homes after finding the lost dog, the animal shelter employee can help reunite the lost dog with its owner faster, thus preventing the pet dog from having to spend more time in the animal shelter.

3. In order to register or renew your dog license, you will need your credit card information, name address and phone number of your veterinary clinic. If renewing, you can show your renewal notice to them.