Dogs and dog lovers rest in Runyan Canyon. (Photo: Marcus Smith)
by Brian Watson, Co-Owner, Posh Pet Care
Be warned, dog parents! Los Angeles Police and Animal Control officers have been ticketing dog owners in Runyon, Fryman and Benedict Canyons lately for having off-leash and unlicensed dogs.
In what has been described by one officer as a safety enforcement sweep, hikers have received hefty fines of up to $300 for infractions. Those without licenses have been warned that their dog could be impounded if they are cited again.
Brian Watson of Posh Pet Care
At Runyon, the enforcement appears to be conducted by both LAPD and City of Los Angeles Animal Control.
“Two uniformed LA police officers and two animal control officers were there under a pop-up tent seemed to be stopping any individual who walked by with a dog,” said a Weho Daily reader who wished to remain anonymous.
One source told us, “as I was veering away from the tent with my two dogs (one of which was just adopted during the holidays from their South LA location), an animal service officer jumped in my path and stated they were there to check for dog licenses or else you weren’t able to proceed.”
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“This whole approach irritated me,” said another anonymous reader. “Runyon dog owners are typically a good breed of dog parents, and LA Animal Services had a major missed opportunity in educating the visitors about the importance of dog licensing, instead of offending and ticketing them. It clearly was a revenue builder.”
Suspicions of a revenue motive were shared by many who spoke with us.
“It’s just a way to generate revenue,” said Jennifer Resner, who takes her Cockapoo, Sam, to Runyon quite often.
“I think it’s an absolute money grab by the city,” said Daniel Kohn, who was annoyed by the enforcement even though he doesn’t have a dog. “It is preposterous that they are fining dog owners for something when it seemed like 90 percent of the dog owners didn’t know [the ordinances] existed.”
There are certain areas that are designated as off-leash areas of Runyon, however, it is illegal to have any dog in the county of Los Angeles without a license. City and county ordinances require that a dog license be purchased every year and be securely fastened to the dog’s collar.
Licenses are required at four months of age or older, even for dogs that never leave a house or yard. Many dog owners forego the license because their dogs are micro-chipped, but that isn’t enough. Also, some reports have said that some people were told that they needed to have actual dog licensing paperwork with them (but we were told in our calls to Animal Control for the City of Los Angeles that just the actual dog tag was enough).
A dog enjoys Runyon Canyon (Photo: Marcus Smith)
Where you license your pet depends on your city of residence. If you live in Los Angeles or Beverly Hills, you need to get your license from the City of Los Angeles. In West Hollywood, the licensing is done through Los Angeles County (though you can file your paperwork at City Hall).
But while that sounds fairly straightforward, irregular city borders make it a bit more complicated. Many people think they live in West Hollywood when they actually live in Los Angeles. The website for L.A. Animal Services says that you can tell between Los Angeles and West Hollywood based on who you pay your water bill to. If you pay to DWP, then they say you need to license your pet in Los Angeles. But here again, many renters don’t have any idea where their landlord sends the check for the water bill.
Even the police and animal control officers on the scene were surprisingly uninformed about the process, according to one witness to an encounter between them and a new area resident. “They couldn’t tell her what the fee was – they said she had to go another step, and call a number or visit a site or something, to find out what her fee is.”
It may be a hassle, but take the time now to make sure you pet licensing is up to day to ensure that a fun trip to the dog park doesn’t turn out to be an irritating experience. Plus, even if your pet is microchipped, an up-to-date license will provide added insurance that you and your loved one will always be able to find each other.
Brian Watson, co-owner of Posh Pet Care, handles boarding, doggie daycare, canyon hikes, walks, training, and grooming for many area residents. For a list of off-leash dog parks and canyons in Southern California, feel free to email him at info@poshpetcare.com or call at 310.494.1502
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“Two uniformed LA police officers and two animal control officers were there under a pop-up tent seemed to be stopping any individual who walked by with a dog.”
It’s official: the City of Los Angeles has room for some layoffs.
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This is such a well written and informative article. Most especially about where which city does what. WeHo is different from L.A., Santa Monica, CC, etc. I concur that it’s simply a money maker for the cities, which is just a travesty in and of itself.
Excellent advice to have your dog licensed – for a number of reasons. My pup is microchipped, but I am now going to get her a license for a nominal fee vs. a potential hefty ticket. I will be forwarding this article to many people and would highly encourage people to do likewise.
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I live near the park, and everyday new poop piles are left on the sidewalk and landscaping for our enjoyment. I know, most dog owners were too busy on their mobile and didn’t see it happen, repeatedly…
If the city really want to make $, fine the dog owners who don’t pick up after their dog, and also the ones who conveniently leave their filled-poop-bags on the sidewalks/roads while putting Boo-boo in the car.
Animal Control Center staff are way over-staffed and do not follow-up on those who are NOT registered. They’re all-bark and no-action. If a dog is not registered, then those late-night barking-complaints go nowhere. Just saying.
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This city is becoming a joke. People pay an amazing amount of money for taxes already and the roads look like the aftermath of the Libya bombings. Its about time people stop fearing and start using their pens, computers, and voices to bring things back to normal. The city is supposed to work for you, not rob you.
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the City of WeHo has info on their website:
“West Hollywood Animal Services – (323) 848-6396
In addition to the licensing services provided by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, animal licenses can be purchased at City Hall 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard at the 1st floor City Clerk ‘Cashier’ window. For licenses purchased at City Hall, you must present a picture I.D. showing a current West Hollywood address and bring all shot records for each animal you want to license.
You will be given a receipt for your records. Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control will mail the tag(s) to your home.”
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As far as I can tell,. it costs just $10 to register a spayed or neutered pet in West Hollywood. That sure beats the hefty fine!
http://www.weho.org/index.aspx?page=460
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To the “Resident near the park”: The city of LA is NOT over-staffed!! I don’t know where you live but you are severely uninformed!!
To the others complaining: I think this is less about making money and more about informing people about THE LAW! I am a volunteer at a LA City shelter and the number of intact & unlicensed dogs is staggering. If your dog is fixed (spayed or neutered) the license fee for the City of LA is $20- less than your weekly Starbucks fix! People give a variety of excuses as to why their dog is not spayed or neutered and they are all EXCUSES!
For those of you who are unaware, here are some numbers for you to think about:
1. About 10 million dogs & cats are euthanized every year in the US- most are perfectly healthy & adoptable but there is simply no space or adoption interest.
2. Many don’t fix their animals because they “want to breed”. The reality of what will happen to most of those cute puppies once the dog becomes full grown and needs to be trained, groomed, fed, etc… They would hopefully think twice before wanting to breed their dog because- guess what!- those dogs will most likely be euthanized due to lack of space & no adoption interest.
3. On any given day in an LA City shelter for 1 dog that has been lucky enough to be adopted, 2 more dogs are brought in- either as an owner surrender (with reasons ranging from legit- losing their home- to ridiculous- I didn’t want to train the puppy or I expected him to be housebroken!) OR as a stray (which 9x out of 10 are never reclaimed by their “owner” because their owner was the one who turned the dog in in the first place claiming it as a “stray” to avoid the $25 surrender fee)
4. Within this last week at the East Valley shelter alone, over 30 dogs were euthanized and this past Saturday & Sunday alone almost 50 dogs came in!! Most of the dogs euthanized were friendly, loving and well liked by many of the staff & volunteers but because the shelter is almost always over capacity, there is simply no space for all the animals that come through the front doors.
So I hope for many of you, you can now see why LAPD and LA Animal Service reps are at these locations to INFORM people of licensing their pets! Because maybe the word will spread and people will become more informed about spaying & neutering and licensing your animals.
Also if you are unsure about licensing please go to laanimalservices.com for more info.
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>To the others complaining: I think this is less about making money and more about informing people about THE LAW!
Glad it’s not about money. Make the fee one-time and at $1.00.
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What’s the big deal? Pay the dog registration fees for your pups like I do for both of mine every year. It’s the law and if you are a responsible dog owner you should already know about it.
Thanks for the great article Brian.
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Wow! I’m from Texas. I had no idea you had to have a license to own a dog in LA. Glad I know now. What will they think of next?
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how about setting up traffic stops in Compton and fine people for being illegal or driving without a license,
but no, the police are waaay too afraid to do that
instead, let’s rob our middle class citizens with dog fines
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This is just another example of government over control. This is nothing short of NAZI behavior. They are just looking to make money. I had a friend who was approached at home by one of these NAZI type officers who gave a ticket to the person even though the dog is inside all the time and chipped anyway.
They can even get warrants if they want!
Lastly, these officers are accountable to nobody just like real cops.
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What’s so wrong with them wanting to make revenue? The city is constantly cutting funding for Animal Services, and they are having to deal with more and more animals all the time, especially given the economy. Somebody’s got to pay the shortfall. Responsible pet owners can pay their portion in a modest $20/year fee. Irresponsible people SHOULD get nailed with a much higher fine. And while we’re at it, it’s against the law to have an unaltered dog unless you have a breeding permit. I wish they’d start cracking down on that and charging the owners of intact dogs OBSCENE fines. Perhaps then, they would finally get their dogs fixed and we could begin to make a dent in this overpopulation problem…
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I don’t want to fix my 5lbs dog who has health problems and who I am not going to breed. He is also not going to be roaming unattended ANYWHERE, I don’t want to put him under anesthesia plus neutering actually LEADS to cancer in a lot of cases especially with male dogs. What are my choices ??? And yes why are they checking people in Ranyon and Benedict canyons, why not go to South Central where dogs roam the streets????
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Alison, you don’t have to get your dog spayed/neutered to be licensed. I’m speaking from memory, but at least for a Los Angeles County license you can still get it but you don’t get the discount for spayed/neutered dogs. (Seems like it might be $20 or so difference if I recall correctly, but double check on this.) I’m assuming that LA City licensing might do something similar.
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