Chico dog owners will no longer get new tags when they renew their dog's license.
Earlier this year, the City Council approved a new policy replacing physical tags with an electronic or paper license to pet owners representing the renewal period and license number.
“The purpose of the new dog policy is simple, to save money,” said Scott Dowell, the accounting manager for the city of Chico.
A dog license would be issued with one physical tag imprinted with a license number. The number would not change and would stay with the applicable animal.
“Before, the owners would have to get their dog tags renewed every three years,” Dowell said. “With the new dog tag policy, the actual expiration date would be removed from the tag and stored electronically. By doing so, we save money by not renewing the entire tags and shipping them out.”
If a dog licensed is being issued, the owner’s name, address, phone number and the address where the dog will reside are all tracked, according to the new ordinance. The city will also keep track of rabies vaccination as well, including the administrative clinic and the actual date of the immunization.
“I never heard about to the new dog policy,” said Chico resident Matthew Tarr. “For years, I’ve always had my brother and father renew the tags for our family dog. I’m curious to see how my family will think of the new dog tag policy.”