Local police K-9s honored; county auditor warns dog license price rises Feb. 1

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office awarded dog tags to police K9s from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Dayton Police Department and the Miamisburg Police Department at a Thursday event, while reminding the public that dog license fees double after Jan. 31.

“I love dogs,” county auditor Karl Keith said. “These canine officers, they really embody, I think, the best quality of dogs … All of us can appreciate the loyalty, strength, bravery and dedication to a job, and so we’re happy to recognize them every year.”

Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said his police K9s — Bart, Riggs, Hank and Max — play vital roles on his team. Sheriff’s office K9s are used to locate missing people, apprehend suspects and more.

“The canine program is very important,” Streck said. “That’s why you see a lot of law enforcement agencies putting the resources they do into those programs.”

But Streck also pointed to a “very big issue” in Montgomery County: a plethora of unlicensed, loose dogs and a limited amount of space at the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center and area rescues.

Some law enforcement agencies now have kennels in areas of their buildings to house dogs when they receive calls about roaming pets, Streck said.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office estimates that roughly half of the dogs in Montgomery County are unlicensed.

A dog tag can save a pet’s life. An immediately visible license tag on a pet’s collar is the fastest way for owners to be reunited with a lost pet.

All dogs older than three months must be licensed under Ohio law. The licenses must be renewed annually, unless the owner has a three-year or permanent license that can only be purchased in person from the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office in the County Administration Building at 451 W. Third St.

Montgomery County dog licenses can be purchased online at www.mcohio.org/dogs, at the Montgomery County Administration Building, and at the Animal Resource Center, among other locations.

Owners whose dogs are spayed or neutered will pay a $20 license fee, and owners whose dogs have not been altered will pay $24 for each dog tag. Dog license fees double after Jan. 31.