Dog Census
Link to Dog License Form

The Town of Perinton is beginning a town-wide dog census to ensure that all dogs in the town are licensed.

Dog licensing laws are among the oldest laws in New York State. Originally, such licensing was to determine who owned dangerous dogs; now licensing is done to be sure that all dogs have current rabies vaccinations, something which protects the dogs, their owners, and the rest of the community.

The census will be done in phases, beginning in the northwest quadrant, and will be done by mail. "We want to make the process as easy as possible", said Perinton Town Clerk Sue Roberts. "Doing the census by mail means that our residents will be able to provide the necessary information according to their schedule, not ours."

Each letter will contain a post card, addressed to the Town, which can be used to inform the Clerk that there is no dog at that address, that there is an unlicensed dog, or that the dog at that address is already licensed. It will also contain a licensing form so that anyone who has an unlicensed dog can license the dog by mail, rather than making a special trip to the Town Clerk's office. Those wishing to license their dog by mail should include proof of a current rabies vaccination with the licensing form.

"We realize that many people do not know their dogs should be licensed. We also realize that our residents lead very busy lives. I hope this dog census will provide a way for them to license their dogs without undo anxiety or stress."

Anyone who has questions about the census or about licensing their dog should call the Town Clerk's office at 223-0770.