The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved some changes to animal-control related fees Tuesday.
The cost of a dog license for an altered dog will be $16 - up from $8. The Supervisors also approved an increase for pet owners of unaltered (or "intact") dogs to $100, up from $50, as recommended by the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
The Supervisors made a change to the ordinance during the public hearing to offer a special rate for the unaltered dog owners that would give them a savings - if they qualify as a recognized breeder. Such recognized breeders are identified by the Department of Animal Services.
The special rate - $65 - is intended to reward individual breeders who provide exceptional care and actively engage in the sport of breeding for the betterment of dog breeds.
Animal Services Director Robert Miller pitched the changes to get his department's dog-license rates on par with what other jurisdictions charge dog owners. The changes do not go into effect until Oct. 1.
The increases impact only those living in unincorporated Riverside County. (The city councils of incorporated cities set the prices for dog licenses. The city of Riverside, for example, recently increased its altered dog license fee to $16 and $100 for unaltered dogs.)
"These are believed to be the first changes in the county's dog-license charges in more than a decade," Director Robert Miller said. "Dog license fees go directly to the care and well being to the stray animals living in Riverside County."
Miller said he supports the Supervisors' allowance for a special rate for the recognized breeders in an effort to encourage responsible breeding. Miller said he recognizes that the most responsible of breeders are the
least likely to need animal-control services. These owners routinely vaccinate, assure the pet is properly identified (such as microchips and ownerThe new dog license fees will not go into effect until the ordinance with the changes - Ordinance No. 630.14 - goes before the Board of Supervisors for a final reading.
Other increases approved during Tuesday's public hearing included what the county charges for spay and neuter surgeries.
The new fees for a cat spay or neuter surgery is now $40 - up from $35. The new fees for a dog spay or neuter surgery is now $85, up from $75. As with the dog-license fee increase, the changes do not go into effect until Oct. 1.
