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Easy to get dog licenses

Brooklyn’s canine community was barking the praises of Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday upon hearing the news that getting licensed with the city was as easy as a romp through the park with their masters.

In fact, borough pooches could probably do it themselves – if, of course, they could handle a computer keyboard and work a mouse (a computer mouse, that is).

During a visit to the Hillside Dog Park near Middagh and Vine streets in Columbia Heights, Bloomberg announced that a new online dog licensing program will make it much easier for dog lovers to protect their pets as well as comply with city law.

To get your dog licensed, which is a city requirement, all one has to do is go to www.nyc.gov to submit an online application.

If submitted online, dog owners will automatically cut the 30-day wait that normally comes with applying for a dog license via snail mail in half, city officials said.

“I've always believed in the power of technology to make government more open and accessible to the people it is supposed to serve,” Bloomberg told attendees at the dog park. “That's the philosophy behind 311, which now allows for the online tracking of service requests, and we're trying to bring that same philosophy to all city agencies.”

“Now, New Yorkers will be able to renew or obtain dog licenses quicker than they have before,” he said.

According to city law, one is supposed to have their pet licensed with the city. The license must be renewed every year.

Although the law has been on the books for decades, city officials estimated that upwards of 500,000 dogs, or 80 percent of the city’s best friends, are unlicensed.

Owners caught without a valid license can face fines of $200 or more, Bloomberg said.

The fee for a first-time dog license is $11.50; a renewal costs $8.50 for a spayed/neutered dog and $11.50 for one that has not been spayed or neutered.

“Licensing is not just a good idea, it's actually the law,” said Bloomberg, who added that his puppies, Labradors he named Bonnie and Clyde, are licensed with the city.

Initially, dog licensing was a rabies control measure. Those who had licenses in effect proved to the city fathers, as well as their neighbors, that their pet had been vaccinated for the disease.

Although the threat of rabies in the city’s canine population is not as severe as it once was, licensing still increases one’s chances of having their dog returned to them if they become lost.

Licensing also allows New Yorkers to use city dog runs and off-leash areas in city parks.

“Being a good pet owner means licensing your dog as soon as you bring him home,” said New York City Animal Care & Control Executive Director Charlene Pedrolie. “More and more New Yorkers are adding pets to their families, and thanks to this site, doing the right thing for your dogs is even easier.”