Rep. Hill’s law streamlines process for Maine dog licenses

Legislation is deemed “municipal friendly

AUGUSTA – Rep. Dawn Hill, D-York, is reminding dog owners to license or renew the license for their dogs this month.

During the last legislative session, Hill submitted L.D. 1727, An Act to Require Veterinarians to Notify Municipalities of Rabies Vaccinations of Dogs, to link two existing laws (rabies certification and dog licensing) in a more efficient manner. The new law ensures that municipal animal control officers (ACO) are informed of when dogs need to be licensed.

Hill, who owns an activity & training center for dogs, drafted the bill with direction from York’s ACO, Larry McAfee and York’s Police Chief, Doug Bracy after she learned that approximately 50 percent of dogs in Maine are unlicensed.

“Maine law requires that residents vaccinate their dogs against rabies and provide proof of the vaccination to their municipality when they license their dogs,” said Hill. “Yet after speaking with several ACOs, and veterinarians, I knew the law wasn’t working.”

“We are often called to assist in locating a lost dog without a tag or license,” McAfee said. “We have no way of identifying the dog’s owner or if they have been vaccinated, which is a public safety issue.”

The Maine Municipal Association, in a year-long overview of 2007 legislative initiatives, singled out Hill’s bill as one of a handful of laws passed that they deemed “municipal friendly.”

Hill worked with members of the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee and the staff from the Department of Agriculture to make the existing laws more effective and won unanimous Committee approval. L.D. 1727, now state law, requires that when a dog receives a rabies vaccination, the veterinarian will send a copy of the rabies certification to the Department of Agriculture. The Department will then send a copy of the certifications to town clerks. In turn, the local ACOs can connect with owners of unlicensed dogs to assure that they become licensed.

“Rep. Hill worked very hard to ensure that more pet owners contribute to Maine’s successful Animal Welfare Program - operating both locally and at the state level,” said Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, Senate Chair of the Agriculture Committee. “This program has been very successful in New Hampshire, and thanks to Rep. Hill, I believe it will be in Maine as well.”

“The bill has provided us with a valuable tool to continue Maine’s fight against rabies,” said Seth Bradstreet, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. “Veterinarians now have to provide the Animal Welfare Program with the information on the owner of the dogs that they vaccinate for rabies. With this information Animal Welfare can work with the local Animal Control Officers and together we can ensure that all dogs are vaccinated against this deadly disease.”

Municipalities currently charge $6 per license for a neutered/spayed dog; of that amount $3 goes to the Animal Welfare Fund in the Department of Agriculture, $2 goes to the town’s animal welfare fund, and the remaining $1 goes to the town clerk.

Contact:
Rep. Dawn Hill, 337-3689
Rita Furlow, Legislative Aide, 287-1430
Travis Kennedy, Communications Director, 287-1433