Show you care, licence your pet! It's the law.

By Marianne Sirro

Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349 requires that all dogs and cats in the City of Toronto be licensed and wearing a City-issued licence tag.   Registering your cat or dog with the City of Toronto is not optional for Torontonians.  It's the law.  Discounts apply for dogs and cats that are spayed or neutered and for seniors.

Toronto Animal Services has an enforcement unit that does the following to ensure compliance:

• Toronto Animal Services representatives  do door-to-door canvassing to educate and promote responsible pet ownership and licensing;
• Animal Care and Control Officers  patrol City of Toronto parks and public spaces to ensure dogs are licensed;
• Randomly select different neighbourhoods throughout the city to check for compliance; and 
• Follow-up on all animal-related complaints and all licensing issues brought to our attention.

Pet licensing is an important part of responsible pet ownership.  Licensing will ensure a quicker and more frequent re-unification of lost pets with their owners.  Further, by ensuring Torontonians have their pets licensed, the City of Toronto’s Animal Services is able to support and deliver valuable animal related services needed to make Toronto safer for people and pets.   We are constantly striving to improve the services we provide to our communities as well as maintaining the high standard of care provided to the animals within our four animal shelters. 

100% of all licensing fees go directly towards:

• Providing a spay/neuter program
• Rescuing sick, injured and/or distressed domestic animals and wildlife
• Providing veterinary services to animals in our care
• Returning lost pets to their homes
• Food, shelter and sterilizing animals in our care
• Adopting homeless pets to new families
• Keeping our neighbourhoods safe for people and pets
• Investigating animal care issues
• Providing community education programs

Purchasing and renewing a cat or dog licence is easy!

A mail in application can be downloaded at:                                                                       

http://www.toronto.ca/forms/pdf/cns_ph_petid.pdf

Help Us Do More

Toronto Animal Services also accepts donations at any of our Animal Centres, online or by phone at 416-338-PETS (7387). You can give with confidence because 100% of donation dollars will directly benefit the animals in our care and give them a better chance of being placed in lifelong loving homes. 

Donations go towards:

• Spaying and neutering cats and dogs prior to adoption.
• Providing "beyond basic" medical care for shelter pets in need of intensive care or surgery.
• Creating exercise and play areas for our dogs, cats and other pets.
• Purchasing special items, like climbing towers, perches and toys to make their stay happier.
• Promoting our pet adoption program.
• And so much more!

Tax receipts are issued for donations of $10 or more.

Need more information?  Please contact us at 416-338-PETS or email us at animalservices@toronto.ca

Toronto Animal Services - Partners with you in responsible pet ownership.

Marianne Sirro
Project Manager, Animal Services
www.toronto.ca/animalservices

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