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Wardens to sniff out 17,000 unlicensed dogs in WestmorelandJun 04, 2009 (Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- State dog wardens said Wednesday there are more than 17,000 unlicensed canines in Westmoreland County, and they will go door-to-door in an effort to find them. Starting June 15, officials will use a new computer database that lists every dog license issued in the county to ensure those permits are up to date. Owners of dogs found to be unlicensed and not vaccinated for rabies this year will be cited, according to Harold Walstrom, dog law supervisor for the state's Department of Agriculture. Fines could reach $300 for unlicensed dogs. Canines that are not vaccinated could cost their owners up to $300 each day they are not protected against rabies, Walstrom said. "Our goal is to get as many dogs as we can licensed. More dogs licensed means less dogs will end up with animal control," Walstrom said. The state's database lists more than 46,000 dogs that had been registered in Westmoreland County since 2007. Yesterday, there were only 35,377 dogs licensed, according to the county treasurer's office, which issues dog permits. About 17,400 dogs might still be unlicensed, according to Bruce Minick, state dog warden for Westmoreland County. An analysis of the state's database found the most unlicensed dogs are in Greensburg, where officials estimate 2,434 dogs do not have proper permits. Latrobe is second with 1,297; followed by North Huntingdon, 1,011; Jeannette, 959; and New Kensington, 736. Dog wardens will target those areas and others. 'We can go down any street and road, and at least 50 percent of the dog owners don't have dog licenses in this county," Minick said. Wardens will knock on doors of homes where dogs were previously licensed to see if they still have the pet. They also will patrol neighborhoods looking for signs of dogs at homes where there is no record to indicate a canine lives there. Licenses are issued by the county treasurer and cost $8 per dog, or $6 for spayed or neutered canines. Applications for licenses are available at the courthouse as well as post offices, magisterial district judge offices and online at the county treasurer's page of the Westmoreland County Web site. The county receives $1 from every dog license it sells. When state dog wardens announced a similar sweep in 2000, more than 8,000 residents swarmed to the courthouse to purchase licenses in the days before the search. Treasurer Kathalyn O'Brien said her office is preparing for a similar rush. "We'll put on extra staff in preparation for it," O'Brien said. ROLL OVER, CROSBY Sidney, Malkin and Fleury aren't just Pittsburgh Penguins players. They're also are names of dogs in Westmoreland County. While most of the county's dogs answer to the five top monikers -- Buddy, Max, Molly, Maggie, Sadie -- some reflect their owner's favorite sports star, according to the state's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. There are 57 Sidneys and 20 Crosbys. Four are named Geno, and one Malkin. Two canines are called Fleury, no doubt after netminder Marc-Andre. There's even one Lemieux and a lone Jagr. The county has 303 Dukes, although most probably aren't named after the Pirates' southpaw. And plenty of Steelers are represented, including eight named Bettis and eight called Hines. Four answer to "Big Ben." Roethlisberger? Not one. To see more of the Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/. Copyright (c) 2009, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |