City Clerk's Office Offering Prizes In New Dog Registration Campaign
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 4, 2012 9:30PM
Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza's office launched a new dog registration campaign today, which comes days after jogger Joseph Finley sustained critical injuries from two pitbulls while jogging along Rainbow Beach. And this time, they're offering prizes for folks registering their dogs.
A previous dog registration drive by Mendoza's office led to a 252 percent increase in dog licenses as part of a 90-day "education" campaign to let people know that maybe that sweet looking choke collar on your rottweiler, or the bedazzled collar for your French poodle, won't pass muster with the City anymore.
“We believe many people are simply not aware of the requirement to register your dog with the city,” Mendoza said in a press release announcing the "Dog of Distinction" campaign. The City Clerk's Office is partnering with local businesses to drive the registration numbers higher.
The campaign runs through March 31 and all dogs who are registered will be entered automatically into a pageant. After the campaign is completed, the Clerk's office will randomly draw five dogs as finalists. Those dogs will then be pitted in an online vote to determine which of them best exemplifies "Chicago's spirit." The winning dog will receive a custom-designed dog tag with real rubies and topazes created by Sherry Bender of famed The Goldsmith Ltd., an appearance in a WCIU TV ad, a weekend stay at the Palmer House Hilton, a photo shoot at Urban Out Sitters, and a feature story in Chicagoland Tails magazine. All the finalists will get a dog-friendly architectural cruise from Shoreline Cruises, a reservation to the exclusive Palmer House Hilton Dog Tea Party, Urban Out Sitter gift bags filled with the latest in dog treats and
accessories and a Chicagoland Tails gift package created just for Chicago’s prize-winning dogs.
Mendoza estimates Chicago has a dog population of nearly 500,000, but only 30,000 dogs are registered. After this grace period, the City will begin cracking down on unregistered dogs. Which is probably a better idea than dredging up the argument for banning specific breeds.
As for Finley, doctors said that he should recover from his injuries and is now in stable condition.