Mandatory Registration & Licensing Advocacy

The Louisiana Animal Control Advisory Task Force (LACATF) advocates and supports local laws requiring the mandatory registration and licensing of all owned dogs and cats.

Each year, thousands of animals enter Louisiana’s public animal shelters without any proper identification. This greatly contributes to the surplus of animals impounded and potentially euthanized unnecessarily each year.  In addition, many animals are not properly vaccinated against rabies despite the state law requirement. This can potentially pose a public health risk for humans and animals.  Compliance with the state rabies vaccination law is essential in controlling the spread of this disease.

LACATF believes that local mandatory registration and licensing laws provide essential information to properly identify animal’s owners in the event they become lost. In addition, mandatory registration and licensing laws can help increase compliance rates with the state rabies law requiring all dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian.

Requiring mandatory registration and licensing of animals can provide the following benefits:

• Increases owner redemption rates by reuniting lost pets with their owners.
• Increases compliance with rabies vaccination laws.
• Prevents pets from entering the shelter.
• Establishes ownership of your pet.
• Encourages owner responsibility.
• Provides funding to support local animal control efforts, shelter programs, community education, and spay & neuter programs.

The LACATF recommends parish and local jurisdictions incorporate a mandatory registration and licensing law into their local ordinances. It is important for this law to be enforceable by animal control and law enforcement. An annual registration and licensing fee is recommended.

The impact of the recommendation is more animals will be reunited with their owners more quickly, allowing for fewer animals to enter the state’s public animal shelters, ultimately reducing the potential risk for animals to be unnecessarily euthanized. In addition, mandatory registration and licensing laws can increase the state’s rabies compliance rate by ensuring all animals are properly vaccinated against rabies.