Mandatory licenses could take bite out of stray dog problem

Members of McMinnville’s Board of Mayor and Alderman are on track with the idea to require city residents to license their dogs.

Requiring a small license fee will help with the cost of animal control, but the best part of the idea is having a dual fee structure for the license fee. People who are responsible enough to have their dogs spayed or neutered will pay less for a dog license than those who let their animals run wild and perpetuate the problem.

Granted, there are problems with the idea of licensing dogs, the utmost being some people will simply ignore the ordinance and won’t bother. Still others won’t care that it costs a little more to license a pet that isn’t spayed or neutered. The difference in license fees will be less than the cost of spaying or neutering.

But there are some people who will decide to have their dog spayed or neutered because of the city’s efforts. That’s why the Standard encourages city officials to follow through with their preliminary talks and take steps to enforce this dog license ordinance that is already on the books.

The only way to make headway in controlling the unwanted dog population is through an aggressive spay/ neuter program. Killing unwanted animals after they are born is what we’re often forced to do, but that is not the answer.

Any steps the city can take that encourages people to spay or neuter their animals is a step in the right direction.