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Why Licence Your Dog?
Licensing is a mandatory requirement of most Animal Control Bylaws.
- To lawfully keep or possess any dog over the age of 4 months in the City of Victoria, Oak Bay or Esquimalt it must be licensed.
- Dog ownership creates many benefits for society, but the benefits come with some costs. Therefore, dog owners must pay an extra share for the cost of operating an Animal Control and Poundkeeping service. Residential & business tax-payers cannot be expected to pay the entire cost of by themselves.
- Owners can be ticketed from $100 to $125 per day for non-compliance.
Benefits of having a Dog Licence
- Dog licences are the fastest way to reunite you with your lost dog. Basic owner information is provided to anyone who finds a dog wearing a City of Victoria or Esquimalt dog licence tag 24/7/365. Every year hundreds of dogs are quickly reunited with their owners because they were found wearing a current licence tag and many owners got their dogs back without making a trip to the Pound or paying impound fees.
- If an unlicensed dog is impounded in the City of Victoria or Esquimalt, a $50, $100 or $150 No Licence Penalty is added to the impoundment fees.
- A dog licence indicates your pet is not a stray, it has a home and needs to be returned to its family.
- Dog licences encourage owner accountability. Licence tags must be worn on a collar when a dog is in a public place or on private property other than where the dog is normally kept.
- Dog licence fees help to offset the costs of operating an animal control and pound service, which shelters, feeds, and provides care for lost animals.
- Dog licence fees also offset the costs of providing dog waste bags in City of Victoria parks. On average 120,000 bags are taken from dispensers each month.