Beginning Feb. 1, Patrick County’s Animal Control Officer will start conducting checks to ensure compliance with the law that requires all dogs kept on their premises that are four months of age or older must be vaccinated for rabies.
Owners must purchase a dog license as required by Patrick County Ordinance. Owners must also preserve the certificate of rabies vaccination to show if the license is requested by an officer.
Dog licenses are purchased through the Patrick County Treasurer’s Office, Patrick County Veterans’ Memorial Building, Second Floor, in Stuart.
The purchaser must present a current and unexpired certificate of vaccination against rabies accompanied by amount of the license tax. A lifetime dog license may be purchased for $20. The lifetime tag is good for the life of the dog as long as the dog’s rabies vaccination remains current. If the rabies vaccination expires, the lifetime tag becomes void. The dog must then be revaccinated and a new lifetime tag purchased.
The lifetime tag is non-transferrable to any other dog or any other dog owner. The lifetime tag is non-transferrable to other localities.
If any person has not purchased a dog license for their dog/dogs, do so before the compliance checks to avoid being summoned to court and subjected to the penalties of the law.
Questions regarding the purchase of dog licenses may be addressed to the Treasurer’s Office at (276) 694-7257.
Further, all cats are required to be vaccinated for rabies; however, no purchase of license is required. All pet owners are urged to comply with the aforementioned regulations.
