Dear fellow Hanoverians:<\/p>\n
Hanover Town Clerk Catherine Harder-Bernier announced today that effective
\nimmediately, late fees that have been imposed previously for those who fail
\nto license their dogs by April 30th in a given year will be reduced from
\n$35 to $10.<\/p>\n
\u201cImmediately prior to when I took office in 2013, Hanover Town Meeting
\ndecided to increase the late fee that was imposed to license a dog after
\nthe April 30th deadline to $35. In my almost two years in office since
\nthen, I have found that late fee to be punitive, unnecessary, and in fact a
\ndeterrent to those wishing to license their dogs after the deadline\u201d,
\nsaid Harder-Bernier. \u201cIn my mind, the Town of Hanover ought to be
\nencouraging residents to license their dogs, not discouraging. I have had
\npeople literally walk away from my counter refusing to license their dog
\nsimply because the late fee was ridiculously high. Further, there are
\npeople in Hanover for whom $35 is a great deal of money; and we should be
\nrespectful of that\u201d.<\/p>\n
The purpose of licensing dogs is based in public health goals, especially
\nincluding the goal of insuring that dogs have up-to-date rabies vaccines
\nand that those vaccination records are checked each year before a license
\nis issued. Additionally, if a dog causes harm to a resident or property,
\nthe dog can be quickly identified and dealt with by the animal control
\nofficer. \u201cAnd finally\u201d, said Harder-Bernier, \u201cas a service to the
\nresidents of Hanover, we have reunited numerous lost dogs with their owners
\nsimply because the dog was wearing a numbered Hanover dog license tag and
\nwe were able to look the tag up in our records. What better reason is
\nthere to license your dog?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hanover\u2019s compliance rate for licensing dogs hovers between 32-40%, a
\ndismal figure by any standards. \u201cWe want to increase that rate, and
\nlowering the late fee will hopefully do so\u201d, said Harder-Bernier.
\n\u201cDogs bring so much joy to so many people; they should not be an economic
\nburden, and this small step should help alleviate that\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
The dog licensing period runs from January 1st \u2013 April 30th every year in
\nHanover. Residents are still encouraged to license their dogs before the
\ndeadline of April 30th, but at least going forward, if you run late, the
\nlate fee penalty will only be $10.<\/p>\n
For more information, please contact the Town Clerk\u2019s Office at (781)
\n826-5000 x1079 or by e-mail at catherine.harderbernier@hanover-ma.gov or
\njoanne.occonor@hanover-ma.gov .<\/p>\n
For “Around Town on the Web”,
\nCathy H-B<\/p>\n
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Dear fellow Hanoverians: Hanover Town Clerk Catherine Harder-Bernier announced today that effective immediately, late fees that have been imposed previously for those who fail to license their dogs by April 30th in a given year will be reduced from $35 … Continue reading