Funny this topic is on here today...
just dropped the dog license paperwork in the mail today.

My dog had a license and my cats all have name tags with our phone number.

My dog doesn't have a license yet... I've only had him a few months and not one person mentioned a license when I got him. He's my first dog so I thought I was golden with the microchip. Sigh.

We don't have to have a licence in the UK, but maybe we should and it would cut down on all the unwanted dogs in this country alone. There should be something there to stop anybody getting a dog and it being mistreated or just kicked onto the streets ect. There are lots of responsable dog and cat owners in the UK but there are the people who just get a puppy for fun, they don't realise they are expensive and hard work.

nah
he's micro-chipped and he never ever runs

The license is also used for data. The more they know about how many of us have pets and VOTE, the more they'll beef up the pet friendly initiatives like dog parks, etc. Plus, it is the law, at least where I live.

like petsugar says its the law in NYC where Fawn resides. But the only time it matters is if a police officer catches you with your dog somewhere it's not supposed to be (like the subway) and they can give you a hefty fine for not having one. But at around 10 dollars a year that's a lot over time for no good reason.

My dog never leaves the house without an id tag with our phone numbers, pet insurance tag (in case she is lost and hurt a stranger knows they can get medical attention and not have to pay themselves) and her rabies vaccine tag (annual thing, you must get from your vet)

I know I should get a dog license but with all Fawn's other expenses I don't feel like adding 1 more.

ruckus has a license, i just can't find it...it freakin disappeared on me just like MY license disappeared days after i got it.

my dog has a pet license, a heart-shaped tag with her name and my phone on it, and is micro-chipped. 3 easy, cheap ways to make sure my baby never has to spend the night at the shelter again. Having a pet license is the law. I can give up a pint of ice cream and a coffee to make sure I don't have to deal with ANY problems once a year. Though micro-chipping I hear can be expensive - my local shelter did it for free because Lila was adopted

I don't have a license because my dog is part American Staffordshire terrier (considered a pit bull) and are banned in Cincinnati.

Nope and I believe all 50 states require them. He wears a tag and is chipped.

I paid the initial license fees but have no idea where the tags are. But if my dogs wore all their tags- license, microchip, rescue organization, rabies shots, plus their home one- their necks would be down to the ground from the weight!

mine has one but its hard to read since its chipped in places.

In New Orleans they issue the license with the rabies shot. Makes it easy not to forget! Sadies is attached to the keys that are attached to her leash, along with her microchip tag. She is very timid, and won't bolt from the house even if I leave the door open so she always has her leash when I drag her outside!

My dog wears a name/address tag, license, rabies tag, and her vet insurance tag as well as being microchipped. It is the law here and they have to have a rabies shot to get the license.

Nope. Oliver's license was suspended last month when he was arrested for DWI and fekony assault with a moving vehicle on the neighbor's dog.

*felony*

My baby is micro-chipped and she has her rabies shot tag proudly displayed along with her AKC microchip tag (only the rabies shot is required to be on the collar of a pet where I live). However, I want to make her an ID tag too so they at least know her name before she is scanned.

This is the first I've heard about licenses

Mine were both licensed, but I think they might be expired now. They didn't send me any renewal paperwork. Hmmmmmm...

Something to keep in mind-it's typically A LOT less expensive to license a spayed/neutered dog than an unaltered one. In the city I live in, unaltered dogs cost 3 times(!) as much to license.

And as far as the "too many" tags dilemma goes...we use two tags. One is the rabies license tag, and one is a custom tag with our dogs name, our phone number, and her microchip number...so that cuts down on all the bling

I also think it's important to note that the MAJORITY of organizations will scan every lost dog or cat for a microchip. I think it's a bit of a misconception that since the microchip isn't immediately visible, there will be a delay in returning the lost pet to its owner. Visual tags often get misplaced (as some of the previous posters have stated), so having a permanent, legally binding type of identification is much more reassuring, IMO.

In California, roughly 3 out of 4 dogs are not licensed. The number of cats that are not licensed is even larger, and rarely enforced. My parents never licensed their dogs, and only recently started after I informed them that their city was beginning to enforce licensing more aggressively. They'd much rather pay the ten or so dollars for a license than have to bail their dog out of "doggy jail". Their city also allows you to include the microchip number with the application so they have it on file.

Sorry this is such a long post, but it really saddens me to think about the thousands of animals that are euthanized every year due simply because they are lost.

I forgot to mention, the shelters need the money to support their programs and keep the shelters in working condition. Another good reason to license your pets!

I think we should have to have a licence in the UK after reading your posts. If anything to make people responsable.

Homer had a license, didn't help much, he was stolen .

Bailey has a city license, name tag, vaccination tags and is microchipped!