City Dog Owners, Fearful of Fines, Apply for Licenses

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 10, 2011 10:40PM

News that the city will soon start fining dog owners for not licensing their dogs has lighted fires under the asses of more than a few. City Clerk Susana Mendoza's office said that more than 2,200 dog licenses have been sold in the two weeks since the news broke.

Mendoza said in a statement released to media that number is a 252 percent increase over the same time frame last year. 60 percent of those filing for dog licenses did so via the City Clerk's website. It's an impressive number, for certain. But it also leaves an estimated 558,000 dogs in Chicago without licenses.

Mendoza said in the same statement that enforcement of the previously unenforced regulation won't happen immediately:

“My goal is always to educate people about the law before increasing enforcement. I met with Animal Care and Control earlier this fall and we agreed that often dog owners are simply not aware of the requirement to register their pet with the city. Together we have committed to educate the public about this requirement and then increase enforcement in 2012.”