Lucas auditor aims to license all dogs in 2013, will use discounts, drawings, contest as incentive

The county dog license discount program will use a key chain tag.

Lucas County is tweaking its Lucas County Loves Dogs discount program by issuing plastic keychain tags to dog license purchasers instead of a larger wallet-sized card.

“We want to make the program as user friendly as possible,” said Lucas County Auditor Anita Lopez, whose office administers dog licensing for the county.

Also new this year is a monthly drawing that will reward two license purchasers with a $25 discount card from one of the participating vendors, which include merchandise and services for dogs and their owners.

Renewal notices went out this week to current dog license holders. Ohio law requires owners to buy an annual license for any dog 3 months or older by Jan. 31. Lucas County dog licenses are $25 if purchased by the deadline. After Jan. 31, the fee increases to $50. Owners acquiring dogs after Jan. 31 have 30 days after the date of acquisition or the date that the dog reaches 3 months of age to register with the auditor.

Licenses can be purchased beginning Saturday. They will be available at the Lucas County Auditor’s Office at One Government Center, Suite 770 and the Lucas County Dog Warden’s office at 401 S. Erie St., during regular weekday business hours; online at co.lucas.oh.us/lcloves dogs (subject to a $2.25 transaction fee); by mail, or from any of 25 vendors throughout Lucas County.

A vendor locator on the Lucas County Web site enables residents to enter their address to find the closest authorized agent.

Discounts for the Lucas County Loves Dogs program total more than $25, which is by design, Ms. Lopez said. The license more than pays for itself if dog owners take advantage of the discounts, she said.

Angela Carlozzi, the program director for Lucas County Loves Dogs for the auditor’s department, said new vendor participants this year include Healthy Pet, 6205 N. Summit St., which offers 10 percent off any purchase. The Point Place vendor is also selling dog licenses for the first time.

Another new vendor participating in the discount program is the Toledo Pet Farm, 1429 Baronial Plaza Dr., which is offering $5 off any service including boarding, day-care, grooming, photography, and training.

New vendors can be added to the program at any time and dog license holders are encouraged to check the Web site for new discounts, Ms. Carlozzi said. Vendors can contact the auditor’s office for more information about joining. Dog license purchasers also are encouraged to ask their favorite local businesses to sign on to offer discounts, she added.

Dog licenses sold in Lucas County increased by 1,384 in 2012 compared to 2011, Ms. Lopez said. The total number sold was 64,124, up from 62,740 in 2011.

“We think it has to be at least in part due to the discount program,” she said. “Hopefully we can add another thousand new licenses every year and chip away at the number of unlicensed dogs in the county.”

As part of the license drive, Lucas County again will conduct the annual photo contest. New this year is a component that ties into the Lucas County Loves Dogs theme.

Dog owners who want to enter the contest are asked to write an essay of 300 words or less describing why they love their dog. Only dogs that are spayed or neutered can be entered, Ms. Lopez said.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners, with the winner receiving the No. 1 dog license. Their dog’s picture will be on the 2014 renewal form and they will receive prizes sponsored by dog license vendors and Lucas County Loves Dogs participants. Their dog’s photo and their essay also will appear on the Lucas County and Lucas County Loves Dogs Web sites.

The second and third place winner will receive the No. 2 and No. 3 dog licenses along with having their essay and photo on both Web sites.

Entries can be submitted to the Lucas County Auditor’s Office, One Government Center, Suite 770, Toledo, Ohio, 43604, Attn. Dog Tag Contest or emailed to alopez@co.lucas.oh.us.

Lucas County residents can call 419-213-4341 for more information about purchasing a dog license.

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com or 419-724-6066.