I personally don't license my dogs. Animal control here checks up on homes with dogs deemed "dangerous.". I was fined $200 and Visa was given a dangerous dog last year when a little boy rode his bike through the dog play area of my campsite while six dogs were playing and Visa scratched him. Animal control loves nothing more than to check up on homes with dangerous dogs -- when an animal control officer came to my house last year, he opened the gate to my yard and just walked in while Visa was out there. He claimed she tried to attack him, that she was charging him. I supervise my dogs at all times, and I saw everything through the window -- she was 10 feet away from him, barking, and running up and down my porch stairs where my door was to warn me. After the incednet last year, animal control visited my mother's house and asked questions about me, about my dogs -- they took my mom's lisence plate number! They asked for her job information!

So I refuse to support these people. Don't get me wrong, I have one friend and one family member that work for animal control -- but I still hate what goes on behind closed doors and I hate what they did to me last year. The amount of stress they put me through because of a little scratch. Jynnelle had to give away her malamute when she was a kid because animal control said it killed a cat and they were goign to come and take it. They came over every week with excuses to fien them or take their dogs. When they stopped licensing, animal control went away.

Back to the original subject -- Paying that amount of money all at once seems pretty lame -- if it was monthly or something it wouldn't be so bad. Certainly not as bad as it is here. Here you pay $50 per dog AND pay the $200 a year kennel license, AND live on an acerage. If you don't live on an acerage they will take away your dogs until you are down to two dogs and put them to sleep (the SPCA refuses to take the animal control dogs now so they are PTS). I don't live on an acerage and I doubt I ever will. Basically if I license my dogs I'm forced to give them away quickly or have them PTS.