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You’ve just received your annual license-renewal notification for your dog or cat (yes, cats must be licensed in Long Beach). You fill out the paperwork and look for a stamp. When you can’t find one, you grumble and head either to the post office to buy postage or to Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) to pay in person. Then, you remember that it’s Monday, and you’ll either have to wait until Wednesday when the shelter’s open to the public or go buy that stamp and mail it.
Well, good news! You can pay off the whole thing without leaving the house. If you own a laptop, a smartphone or any electronic device that connects to the internet — and if you’re reading this, you probably do — you can use the new DocuPet registration system available on the shelter’s Licensing page.
DocuPet is a leading pet-registration and lost-pet recovery service that LBACS recently partnered with — “a modern licensing system designed to protect pets and bring them home safely if they go missing,” as a press release from the city of Long Beach described the service.
Using the system is pretty straightforward. You’ll be prompted to set up an account. Then, if you’ve received a notice for renewal or you’ve just gotten a new pet (suggestions for this are in the Yours drooly section), you’ll click on the appropriate button. You may already have an account and not know it, so there’s an option to enter the number on your pet’s license, the code from your renewal notice, or the zip code and email associated with the license. Your dashboard will then pop up, where you can see details about your pet, order a new license tag, identify a guardian for your pet, and opt in for announcements. Of course, you can also pay for and renew your pet’s license or order one for a new pet.
When you renew your pet’s license or apply for a new one, your furry buddy will sport this updated tag. You can also order a custom design. Graphic courtesy of LBACS.
“Each tag features a unique identification code linked to a secure online pet profile where owners can upload photos and add behavior notes, medical information and emergency contacts to quickly identify and reunite a lost pet with their family,” the press release read. “If a pet goes missing, pet owners can list a Lost Pet Report, which will be shared instantly with Petco Love Lost, the nation’s largest photo-matching lost and found database, and DocuPet’s National Animal Shelter Network. This allows shelters to quickly identify pets using identification codes, microchip data and unique markings. These tools will help expedite lost pet reunifications, often before entering a shelter.”
Why are pet licenses mandatory?
According to one source, the earliest known documentation of a dog license was made in Holland in 1446 and was paid for in salt. The author didn’t give a reason for licensing dogs, but it was probably for proof of ownership in case of theft or to identify a culprit trampling through the tulips. The oldest known license tage in the United States was an 1853 medallion issued in Virginia.
Over the years, licensing continued to prove ownership in case a dog was stolen or found wandering the street. Later, it provided a record of vaccination and helped to control the spread of rabies and other diseases. License fees help fund shelters, which truly need the income, pay for humane programs, and provide spay/neuter.
“These fees stay right here in our city to fund our 24/7 animal control officers, the rescue of injured wildlife, and the medical care provided to the thousands of homeless animals we see every year,” said Dr. Melanie Wagner, LBACS’ bureau manager.
Each municipality sets its own requirements for licensing. Long Beach’s requirements and pricing extend to its service cities of Signal Hill, Los Alamitos and Cerritos.
“California State Law mandates that every dog over 4 months old be vaccinated against rabies,” Wagner said. “To ensure this public health standard is met, the state grants cities like Long Beach the authority to manage licensing programs. Under Long Beach Municipal Code 6.08.010, licensing is a legal requirement for both dogs and cats within our service area.”
Licensing cats has been mandatory in Long Beach Long Beach since 2010 for several important reasons. There was some hissing about it, but Wagner cited several good reasons for licensing cats: Statistically, lost cats are less likely to be reunited with their people than dogs are because they lack ID. Microchips coupled with licenses get better return results. Herd health is also important; cats must be vaccinated against rabies as well as feline-specific diseases. Even a prisoner-of-love indoor cat can sneak outside and contract rabies from a bite from an infected animal. If a rabid bat should swoop into the house — a rare occasion, but it has happened — a cat or a dog will go after it and the end would be tragic.
Wagner also cited the most important reason for a person to license their best buddy: proving ownership and returning them to where they belong.
“Our goal is to get pets home,” she said. “A license is a pet’s fastest ticket out of the shelter and back to their family.”
LBACS’ Free Ride Home program guarantees chauffeur service for your licensed buddy if an LBACS animal control officer finds them.
“We will attempt to bring them directly to your front door for free the first time they are found,” Wagner said. “This allows your pet to skip the stress of a shelter stay and helps you avoid the costs associated with impound fees.”
Wagner added that licenses are official government records of your pet’s identity. They can serve as legal proof of ownership should your pet be stolen or there’s a dispute over whom the animal belongs with.
“This documentation is often the most critical piece of evidence in reuniting a pet with its rightful family,” Wagner said.
Of course, there may be a couple of glitches …
The DocuPet program has just been rolled out, and the staff is busily working to transfer the hard-copy records to the online files. If you sign up or sign in and find that your records aren’t up to date, call the shelter at 562-570-7387 and speak to a clerk. They’ll fix it for you right away — I have firsthand knowledge.
You will have to upload documents such as your rabies certificate. This may be inconvenient, but your veterinarian can email the records to you and you can save them on your computer.
Not everyone has a computer or is comfortable using one for purposes like this, but mailing or bringing them in are still options. The clerk I spoke to today said that it’s hoped that, in time, they’ll get every pet’s info and license into the online database.
And if a person is still uncomfortable with using the new system?
“Of course, we’re going to help them!” the clerk said. I believe them.
YOURS DROOLY
Our shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services is still overcrowded with dogs. Many of them were found as strays and brought in, with no license or microchip for the animal control officer to look at and find their humans. Please visit LBACS and foster or adopt one or two of these doggies, especially one of the big ones. Some of them have been confined to a kennel for over a year, which is no place for a big dog. Or any dog. Or a cat or a rabbit, for that matter.
Check out LBACS’ adoptable pets here. Better yet, come to the shelter and meet them in person. Shelter hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7700 E. Spring St. at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). Email PetAdopt@longbeach.gov or petfoster@longbeach.gov to do either, or call 562-570-4925.
Meanwhile, meet three characters in search of a license.
Comet. Video courtesy of LBACS
Comet (ID#A750037), unlike his name, doesn’t dashaway, dashaway, dashaway at all. Comet is a a 2-year-old Siberian red husky (note the gorgeous coat) who responds to commands and is great on a leash. He enjoys his playmates at the shelter, both canine and human, and he plays nice! No matter how much time his friends give him, though, he has to go back into his kennel, which is not the best place for a big dog, especially a husky. Huskies need exercise and a sense of purpose, and Comet could use that on a permanent basis, or at least in a foster situation. Add a backyard, a soft place for Comet to rest his heavenly body, and a loving human or two who understand the breed, and he’ll truly be in the heavens!
Wedge
Roll out the carpet (and the tongue for Wedge (ID#A744861)! Wedge is a goofy, fun-loving German shepherd mix who’s only a little over a year old. He came to LBACS as a big puppy and has since endeared himself to everyone. He recently had a meetup with a family that included three slightly rambunctious children, and he had a great time playing with the human puppies. The family decided on another pet, so here’s your chance. Wedge loves people, especially kids; is playful with other dogs; knows basic commands; and wants very badly to be the family dog!
Oreo
Oreo (ID#A748360) is — gotta say it — a smart cookie. Like one of those cookies, Oreo has a sturdy exterior and a sweet, mushy center. Don’t you love her smile? She loves her volunteer buddies and is always excited about playtime. Like many big dogs, Oreo is showing signs of kennel stress. She needs a vacation in a foster home and ideally a forever one. She’s only 2 years old and deserves to have a full life ahead of her.
TAIL-WAGGING AND NOSE-BOOPING EVENTS
Your New Year’s resolution: I will volunteer at a shelter or rescue
Animal shelters and rescues are typically understaffed and underfunded. They rely on volunteers who love animals and want the best outcome for them to walk dogs, change litter boxes, transport them for medical care, help with paperwork and do any other task that they need done. If that sounds like a good way to spend your spare time, access this link, also at the end of the article. It lists shelters and rescues as well as resources where your help will be welcome!
Drag Bingo fundraiser for The Little Lion Foundation
Caring for homeless, newborn or sick kittens can be a drag, but you can make it so in the best way possible by attending The Little Lion Foundation’s Drag Bingo event and raise funds for caring for these kitties! The purr-fectly entertaining evening features local icon hosts Mia Anastasia Farrow and Robbie Osa, who’ll keep the energy as high as an orange cat with zoomies! You’ll enjoy singing, sipping on cocktails, munching goodies, shopping the vendors and, of course, shouting “Bingo!” All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to support Little Lion’s local cat rescue programs.
Drag Bingo will take place Friday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m.–10 p.m. at the Altar Society Brewing Co. in Downtown Long Beach, 228 Pine Ave. Tickets from $33.85, available here. Early bird discount through Dec. 31; bar and food available but not included.
Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, pet food, veterinary assistance, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.
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