© 2025 WXPR
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Dog And Cat Licensing In Rhinelander Falls Short Of Reality

Pixabay.com Free-Photos

There are many people who are dog and cat owners in Rhinelander, but the City of Rhinelander suspects that most of them haven't licensed their pets.

City Clerk Val Foley says the low numbers of registrations makes her guess many people aren't following state and local laws...

"...I don't know whether the information is out there and available to them. We've tried to include it in the property tax statements. When we sent those out we sent a little flyer along. People don't realize it's a state statute, it's the law, that you have to license your dog in the state of Wisconsin. Also, in the City of Rhinelander, by ordinance, cats need to be licensed...."

Foley reported 160 dogs and 18 cats are licensed. She knows there are more animals within the city than those numbers indicate. She says pet owners need to talk to their veterinarians first..

"...In order to license you have to prove that your dog has had a rabies vaccine. For cats, per the ordinance, it doesn't say you have to show the rabies vaccine, but it's good to have that. We have a form online on the City of Rhinelander website to license dogs or cats. You fill in all the information. Most important is the date the rabies vaccination was given and the date it expires..."

The cost to license a cat or dog is lower if they're spayed or neutered. If they've been fixed, the cost is $5.00. If unaltered, it's $15. If done after April 1, 2020, there's a $10 penalty added to the cost.

More information is available by calling Rhinelander City Hall at 715-365-8600, extension 1.

Up North Updates
* indicates required