Make Sure Your Dog’s Tags Are Up To Date

Animal Control Checking To Make Sure Your Dog’s Tags Are Up To Date This Spring

Every News Channel in Pittsburgh and the Newspaper have been running a public service story that the State, City, and County Dog Wardens will be on the lookout for dogs without current Rabies and License tags.

In my East End neighborhood the wardens have been in Frick and Mellon Parks, as well as patrolling the streets, and fines up to $300 have been levied against many owners of untagged dogs. In some suburban communities, cats must wear licenses and rabies tags as well.

Many people are not aware that a Lifetime Dog License is available in Pennsylvania, as long as the dog has an identification microchip or a registered tattoo. For a one time fee of $31 for a neutered or spayed dog, you receive the Lifetime License and a stainless steel long lasting collar tag. The fee for intact dogs is $51.

By having an identification microchip implanted, your dog or cat will be registered in a national database. There is statistically an 85% chance that your pet will be returned to you if lost. The total cost to have the chip implanted and registered at PSVC is $42, a small price for the peace of mind it provides. We also have the paperwork for you to apply for the Lifetime License.

Rabies vaccination is the law because of the public health risk that unvaccinated pets pose. Rabies is fatal to pets and people, period. Clients ask me if their indoor pets really need to be immunized. Every year our clinic gets calls from pet owners whose pets catch and kill bats and rodents that have found their way into their houses. There is a 5% incidence of rabies in the bat population. Wild animals have moved into all of our neighborhoods, as they are no longer afraid of living with people. This is also why the incidence of tick transmitted diseases like Lyme is increasing.

So check your pets’ tags today and take action to avoid the fines.

As you make your summer vacation plans, check with your kennel to see if they will be requiring the Canine Flu vaccine. Because of the time deadlines for Flu vaccination that several kennels have imposed, if your pet has had an examination at PSVC in the past six months and has no current medical problems, you can set up a Technician appointment to get the initial immunization and the boost injection two to four weeks later.

Pittsburgh Spay & Vaccination Clinic is a state-of-the-art, full-service suburban veterinary facility serving the Pittsburgh Area since 1980.. We offer diagnostic, medical, surgical, and dental care to dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, and pocket pets in the Pittsburgh area.

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