Dog License

A while ago, about 3 years ago, I was helping a person I know with their new puppy - a 4 month old dog.

As a favor, I took it to a vet office so the puppy could get it's shots. All went well, my friend still has the dog, every now and then, I still baby sit the 6lbs thing. It's very friendly and gives joy rather than trouble.

While I took it to the vet, the vet office got my name and address - they claimed it was because I was paying with credit card. They also got the dog's name - no big deal.

About 2 days ago, I get this letter in the mail - I owe a fine. $150 worth of it. The letter claims that the County has obtained the info from vet's office and that dog has received it's rabies shots. Indeed it did. The County is claiming that I did not register the dog properly and that for every month that went by and dog was not registered the fine is $10.

This is a bad situation. I know that my friend did not register the dog. I know that I do not want to turn them in. Why is the vet office is backstabbing me? I thought they shared personal information with no one. Can I get in trouble and have to pay? The dog is not mine, but I baby sit it.

Has anyone gotten in the same situation and gotten out of it? I feel like going to the vet and screaming at those asshole for selling out pet owner info. Can my friend get in trouble? The dog in not chipped, they got the Birth date incorrectly and are we to the point of the big brother watching every step? What is next, if we help animals, do we pay fines and if we want to help kids, we have to get fingerprinted?

Seems fair to me if veterinary offices tell law enforcement that pet owners aren't vaccinating/registering their dogs. It's a public health issue as well as an animal welfare issue.

A dog must have a rabies booster shot every year and pay a registration fee, at least in most places I have lived. Once the dog is vaccinated, the veterinarian's office will typically file a record with the county to prove that the dog has been vaccinated. They are probably legally bound to do so.

If you have several vaccinations on record with the county and no record of registering the dog, they will probably come after you.

So, did your friend have this dog vaccinated using your name and address every time? Or has the dog simply not been vaccinated since it was a puppy? It's clearly never been registered. The vet's office isn't backstabbing you. Your friend is being negligent.

You might be able to explain that you paid for the vaccinations once and the dog has never been yours, but you will probably be forced to tell them where the dog is now if you don't want to be liable for the fine.

No good deed goes unpunished, Techie. Your story is a good example.

My state just started requiring veterinarians to tell local authorities of unregistered dogs under circumstances like yours. This essentially means that people will decide not to take their pets to the vet for disdain of such Big Brother tactics, and the pets will suffer.

Ugh. I think the vet's office took your info because they thought you were lying about ownership of the dog PLUS they do need it if you pay with a CC.

Straighten this out quickly by having your friend produce the necessary proof that it is her/his dog and have them register the puppy TODAY. Don't take the fall for your friend failing to register the puppy, it will come back to bite you in the ass.

I would also call the vet's office and talk to them about it - don't bitch or scream because they can actually help you out. If they act like dicks, then you can bitch and scream.