It’s December and in the state of Maine that means all law abiding dogs must be registered with their towns before the end of the year.  The tax to register dogs started in the early 1800s.  I’m not sure when it exactly began in Maine, but I do know that hanging on our town clerk’s window is a copy of a dog license issued in 1894.

That year E. B. Sears proudly registered his Bull Terrier, McGuinty.  In fact, according to this license, McGuinty was the 34th dog registered in Old Orchard that year.  Little else is known about him, other than he was “spotted brindle and white.”  But we do know that it cost $1.15 to register him and that female dogs cost $3.15.

Originally only paper licenses were issued, and the fees collected were used to compensate farmers for injured or killed livestock.  However, in some states the fees even went to non-animal related causes including for orphans and the poor.  With the increase in the popularity of dogs as pets throughout the nineteenth century, unlicensed dogs were considered nuisances.  So in addition to the paper license, dog tags were eventually required as well.  With it the cost to register dogs also increased from 50 cents in the early 1800s, to over $3.00 by the end of that century.  An expensive tax that showed the value people had for their dogs.

It’s funny how so little has changed over 120 years later.  As with now, dogs in 1894 must wear a tag with their owner’s contact info, and there is a penalty for dogs not registered with the town in which they live.  However, there have also been important changes since then as well.  Dogs must now have proof of vaccination for rabies, and our owners receive a discount if the dog is “fixed,” so as to avoid unwanted puppies.

I guess the important point to take away from my historic musings, is that all dogs age six months and older in the state of Maine must be registered by December 31.  Per Maine State Law, any dog license that is re-licensed after January 31 will be subject to a $25.00 late fee in addition to the regular licensing fee.  So if your owner hasn’t renewed your registration yet, it is your civic duty to make sure they do it.  You can log onto Maine.gov  to see if your town has online dog registration available.  There you can also read about the important ways the fee for registering us is used to help dogs in our community today.