Taxpayers collared to rescue broke Bureau of Dog Law

The state Department of Agriculture has been warning for years that the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement would run out of money and protections for Pennsylvania dogs wouldn’t continue at the same level.

Now, it’s happened. After 25 years with the same $6.50 dog license fee, the bureau is out of money and we’re seeing the disturbing results.

The bureau has been unable to fill certain vacancies, including dog warden positions. Somerset and Greene counties are without a warden; Allegheny County has one warden but the workload for two. An estimated 300,000 dogs are under this one warden’s responsibility.

Wardensacross the state, including Western Pennsylvania, are being pulled away from their usual regions to ensure that kennels in other areas are inspected. Across Pennsylvania, fewer kennel inspections are happening while more kennelsare licensed annually.

Thisis disturbing because Pennsylvania has worked hard to shed the label of Puppy Mill Capital of the East. Fewer staff and fewer inspections invite the return of Pennsylvania puppy mills and the acute dogcruelty that goes with them.

In counties without dog wardens, more public complaints about stray or vicious dogs are being deferred to police, who are not asequipped to handle dog calls.

Allegheny County has the most registered dangerous dogs in the state. There are more than 100 that dog wardens are monitoring, enforcing owner responsibilities such as proper enclosure, muzzling, posting warning signs, microchipping and insurance.

What if these 100 vicious dogs couldn’t be traced because wardens are stretched so thin?

Here’s another troubling budget impact: The bureau pays some shelters $40 per quarter for each stray dog held and rehomed, but as of Jan. 1, shelters are receiving only $5.

Even $40 doesn’t cover the full cost of caring for a dog, and this unavoidable decrease will be felt by animal shelters across Pennsylvania and will force more shelters to get contractswith municipalities.

These are real impacts in communities now, all directly related to the Legislature’s inaction to raise the dog license fee. Since the bureau’s inception in 1893, it has never relied on taxpayer dollars. Rather, it’sfunded by dog license fees.

Now, as a result of this shortfall and inaction to raise the fee, taxpayer dollars are being redirected for the first time to fund the bureau and keep minimum mandated services up and running.

If passed, two pieces of legislation can improve the bureau’s financial picture.

Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, proposes Senate Bill 232, which would increase the annual dog license fee from its current $6.50 to $10 — less than the cost of a squeaky toy.

Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, DLuzerne, proposes House Bill 526, which would encourage more owners to buy a dog license by reducing the age of licensure from 3 months to 8 weeks. That’s the age when most puppies go home with their new owners, and when folks are most likely to be thinking about a license.

This legislation has been proposed before, but never moved.

How much further will services for dogs have to slip before the full Legislature steps up?

We know the public wants vicious dogs to be contained and lost companion dogs to be sheltered from harm. These are necessary services.

This is why the Bureau of Dog Law was founded 128 years ago. Since then, the bureau’ s responsibilities have grown to include reuniting lost dogs with owners, increasingly rigorous kennel inspections, heavy enforcement on bad actors and maintenance of a statewide dangerous dog registry. The inability of the bureau to fully fund services will not make the needgo away.

Itis time to act. You can help protect Pennsylvania dogs by buying a dog license and by speaking with legislators.Let them know you care about protecting Pennsylvania’s dogs.