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.

In addition to canvassing neighborhoods for unlicensed dogs and overseeing dog attack cases, wardens inspect kennels and check the health-related paperwork that should accompany dogs brought in from other states.

She said many dogs arrived in Pennsylvania during the coronavirus pandemic, when many residents decided to add a dog to their families.

Mary Kennedy Withrow, animal welfare advocate, said one dog that came into Pennsylvania was found to have distemper, and nine other dogs in its kennel were exposed.

All 10 dogs had to be euthanized, Donmoyer said.

“We have to be very careful if we're going down this path of bringing dogs in,” Withrow said. “We need our dog wardens.”

She also worries that the decrease in dog wardens will mean less oversight at kennels and shelters.

“The most important piece of legislation in Pennsylvania right now is Senate Bill 232,” Withrow said.

A dog bite victim also told her story of trying to distract an aggressive pit bull from a father and his 3-year-old child, which resulted in her receiving hundreds of stitches, weeks of pain and an ongoing court case.

Allison Smigiel said the dog warden on the case was invaluable in helping her navigate the complex criminal case that resulted from her attack.

“He gave me as much peace of mind as is possible in such a situation,” Smigiel said.

But county Treasurer Diane Marburger, whose office sells dog licenses each year, said legislation to raise the dog license fee was introduced in Harrisburg last year and in many years before that, dating back to at least 1996.

She said the county treasurer's association decided not to approve a resolution to support the measure because the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement could not provide the association with a financial plan detailing how long the $10 fee would sustain them or why $10 was selected as the amount to be charged.

Marburger said an additional issue is the lifetime dog license price of $31.50 for a spayed or neutered dog.

“That's a steal,” she said. “It's shooting them in the foot because (dog owners) are done paying for that dog's life.”

In Ohio, owners pay $18 annually for a one-year dog license, $54 for a three-year dog license and $180 for a lifetime license.

Marburger also thinks the bureau should designate kennel and shelter inspectors, so dog wardens are not tasked with performing the inspections, which are required by law.

“Enforcement on the other end, which is their life blood, gets neglected,” she said.

State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, said she will not support the legislation to increase the dog license fee.

“Why are they constantly going after people who do renew their dog licenses every year?” Mustello said. “The people who do not license their dogs, nobody is going after them.”

She said while Butler County once saw canvassing of neighborhoods by dog wardens, she hasn't seen the dog warden truck in an extended period of time.

“They're just constantly going after the good people and those who follow the law on licensing their dogs every year,” Mustello said. “They put out these heart-wrenching stories, but where have they been? They haven't helped anybody.”