Published: Thursday, July 22, 2010

John Few, News Desk
Madison Weekly
Madison, Alabama’s Hometown Newspaper

Soon animal control officers with the Madison Police Department will be going door to door and handing out educational material to remind residents to register their pets with the city.

“A lot of people do not even realize that we have an ordinance that requires residents to register their pets,” said Lt. Steve Wilkerson, who is coordinating a drive that began this week to get more pets registered. “Right now we have about 20 percent of the pet owners in Madison who have registered their pet. We want to try and reach the other 80 percent and let them know how easy it is and the benefits of registration.”

From July 16 to Sept. 1, the city is offering licenses at last year’s rates.

In May the city council voted to revise the animal ordinance, raising the fees from $5 to $10 for altered animals and from $20 to $25 for unaltered animals for a one-year license.

That increase has been postponed until September to encourage more people to register their pets.

“The fees support the Animal Control service operated by the Madison Police Department,” said Wilkerson. “It basically helps us to break even.”

The main reason for the drive is to help with returning lost pets easier,” Wilkerson said.

“Our focus is to safely return lost pets to the rightful owner,” he said. “We have a lot of pet owners in Madison. Getting them registered will help us, help these owners better when a lost pet is reported.”

For more information on how to register your pet, go to MadisonAL.Gov for more information. Animal Registration is available at the Madison Police Department at City Hall on Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.