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DOG LICENSING

Why License Your Dog?

 

Licensing is a mandatory requirement of most Animal Control Bylaws.
 

  • To lawfully keep or possess any dog over the age of 4 months in the City of Nanaimo it must be licensed.

  • Owners can be ticketed $125 per day for non-compliance.

  • Dog licences are the fastest way to reunite you with your lost dog. If your dog is found wearing a tag, the finder can call the on-duty officer 24/7 and we can call you right away and connect you to the finder. Every year hundreds of dogs are quickly reunited with their owners because they were found wearing a current licence tag and many owners got their dogs back without making a trip to the Pound or paying impound fees.

  • If an unlicensed dog is impounded, a $100 penalty is added to the regular impound fees.

  • A dog licence indicates your pet is not a stray, it has a home and needs to be returned to its family.

  • Dog licences encourage owner accountabilitiy. Licence tags must be worn on a collar when a dog is in a public place or on private property other than where the dog is normally kept.

  • Dog licence fees help to offset the costs of operating an animal control and pound service, which shelters, feeds, and provides care for lost animals.

Where to Buy a Dog Licence

JULY 2021: YOU CAN NOW CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A DOG LICENCE ONLINE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Licence Fees

Licence fees are due January 1st of each year and are valid for the calendar year in which the fee is paid. Dog owners received renewal notices from the City of Nanaimo in January of each year.

Licence fees for 2021 are $30 per dog, or $20 for a new dog that was obtained or moved into Nanaimo after july 1st.

The licence fees will change beginning January, 2022.

As of January 1, 2022:

If purchased before February 28:

  • Neutered / spayed: $25

  • Unsterilized: $50

  • Dog designated Aggressive: $75

If purchased after February 28:

  • Neutered / spayed: $30

  • Unsterilised: $60

  • Dog designated Aggressive: $90

 
Use of Your Information


Personal Information (name, address, phone number) collected on a Dog Licence Application is kept for the following purposes:

  • to identify the owner of a dog

  • to verify the current status of a dog licence

  • to assist the Poundkeeper and Animal Control Officers carry out their duties and responsibilities
     

Personal information is collected and kept for the following purposes: to identify the owner of a dog, to verify the current status of a dog licence, and to assist Animal Control Officers to carry out their duties and responsibilities. For questions regarding the collection of this information contact the Manager of Bylaw, Regulation & Security, City of Nanaimo Service and Resource Centre, 411 Dunsmuir Street, Nanaimo, BC. (250) 755-4466.

Purchasing Licences From the Pound: The facility is closed to the public, but we can help you outside the building during our regular business hours. You can come to the animal shelter at 1260 Nanaimo Lakes Rd and call us at 250-616-0233 from the parking lot to let us know you are outside to purchase a licence. We can accept cash, debit, or credit.

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