County doesn't favor increase in dog license fee
The state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement said while legislation to increase the annual dog licensing fee to $10 will prevent dog attacks by sufficiently funding the bureau, the move is not supported by the county treasurer or a local state legislator.
Russell Redding, state agriculture secretary, held a virtual news conference Friday touting two bills that would increase the annual $6.50 cost of licensing a spayed or neutered dog to $10.
Redding listed vicious dog attacks recently in Allegheny and Beaver counties, and said fully funding the bureau would increase the number of dog wardens needed across the state.
Kristen Donmoyer, director of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, said the additional fee would generate $2.5 million.
That amount would allow her to hire 14 more dog wardens. There are 46 wardens to cover all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, she said.
Donmoyer said the dog license fees generate about $6 million per year, and the bureau takes $1.2 million out of the state budget’s general fund for the total $7.2 million it costs to operate the bureau annually.
Read more in Sunday's Butler Eagle.
