[llbbdd]

I was going to comment "dog license???" but I looked it up for my county and I had no idea this was a thing. I'm in awe. I adopted an adult dog ~9 years ago. He has issued literally one single bark in that span. He stays indoors or in my fenced-in yard 100% of the time because of some health issues. I'm supposed to pay an annual fee for this or they'll fine me?? Nobody ever told me this, not the shelter, not the vet he goes to regularly who presumably has the ability to check this.

There are also apparently canvassers paid by the county who go door to door checking for this?! I'm not the kind of person to typically nitpick about where my taxes are going, but...I retroactively and broadly apologize for every lighthearted jab I may have ever made about TV licensing in the UK. This is beyond dumb in comparison. And my condolences, the fact that this system leads to them harassing you in this way is completely insane.

[dashundchen]

Why is dog licensing that crazy? You are required to license and register a car that's used in public. Your dog may always be on your property but for almost every other dog that is not that case.

A dog can be a public health threat, in both terms of disease and attacks on people or other dogs. Many states require rabies vaccinations for example .The owners are ultimately liable for that and there should be a way to track that.

Plus the fees frequently fund animal control and shelters in many areas.

[llbbdd]

Simple registration I have less of a problem with for some of the reasons you listed. Cross-reference with vet records, have fines specifically for missing rabies vaccinations etc for the sake of public health, sure. Maybe even bill me a nominal paperwork amount for the initial registration, maybe waive it for adoptions or make it an automatic thing the shelter does and builds into their fees. Having an annual subscription to my own dog is what seems ridiculous.

In theory the fees for car registration go towards maintaining the infrastructure that cars make use of. Taking a dog out in public doesn't have many similar externalities, and there are already targeted fines for off-leash dogs or for failing to clean up after them. I live in an area with a decent amount of dog-friendly public infrastructure, but that just seems like it would fall under regular parks funding, and I don't get a bill every year asking me how much time I spent at the park.

As far as where the funding goes, I'm sure that could be done better. Everyone in the county benefits from funded animal control and shelters. By adopting my dog from a shelter I have actually reduced the burden of responsibility on the local shelter system, which then seems backwards to tax me for.

Registration + annual fees aside though, door-to-door dog inspections are where I would absolutely draw the line. That we have any room at all to fund that is crazy to me.

[pluralmonad]

I've never asked anyone's permission to keep my dog. She barks at every car that pulls in my driveway like a good girl.