Bellevue, Kirkland pet police will be out in force this summer
Apr 2, 2015, 1:30 PM | Updated: 5:34 pm
Pet owners can face up to a $250 fine for an unlicensed pet. (AP)
(AP)
King County staff will go door-to-door in two cities this summer to make sure pets are properly licensed.
Starting April 4, temporary staff hired by the Regional Animal Services will make sure all cats and dogs are licensed and to educate residents on licensing requirements.
The license canvassing will be done in Kirkland and Bellevue on weekends from April through October. Staff will be identified by county badges, business cards, and logo shirts and jackets.
The county maintains a database of all licensed pets, according to Cameron Satterfield, the communications manager of the King County Department of Executive Services.
“What happens, is we do notice a pet, we can do a cross-reference,” Satterfield said. “If we see a pet at an address that is not in the database, we can get them licensed right there or [leave information on how to do it].”
The areas targeted will be the Juanita and Finn Hill neighborhoods in Kirkland and communities in Bellevue near Lakemont Blvd., Chandler Neighborhood Park, Deer Run Park, the area from NE Eighth Street to SE Eighth Street, and between 140th Avenue and 148th Avenue.
King County code requires all cats and dogs eight weeks and older to be licensed, whether they are indoor or outdoor. A pet license for a spayed or neutered animal is $30.
Licensing your pet is the law, Satterfield said. If a pet owner refuses to license, “there are steps we can take either through enforcement with animal control or other means.”
Typically, an owner with an unlicensed pet will get a warning if they have never been contacted before. In the case of the canvassing, they might not even receive a warning.
However, a pet owner with previous citations can face fines of up to $250, Satterfield said. If a pet bit someone, for example, there could be multiple civil penalties.
“In general, we just encourage people to get pets licensed,” Satterfield said.
The county has been checking for licensed pets for several years. The county contracts with cities for the sweep. The neighborhoods checked are selected by city government, Satterfield said.
