Door-to-Door License Squad : Dogged Scouts Collect Late Fees at the Source

Striding along one of several one-way streets in Norwalk, dog scout Minnie Lewis took her chances and entered a fenced yard occupied by an Alaskan husky.

The thick-haired dog eyed her suspiciously and then jumped up and licked Lewis. It wasn’t the dog that Lewis wanted, though; she wanted the owner to find out if he had bought a city dog license.

When Lewis found no one at home, she opened the gate to leave. At that point, the husky shot through the opening and raced down the street.

Lewis had to follow, and with the help of neighbors she brought Lobo back to his yard.

Chasing dogs is just one of many hazards faced by Lewis and her colleagues who are going door-to-door in search of unlicensed dogs in five Southeast cities.

List of License Holders

Collectors are supplied with a list of licensed dog owners and those who have let previous licenses expire. Most collectors attempt to knock on every door on the street, and will often whistle or rattle a fence to check for dogs. The Southeast Area Animal Control Authority--which provides animal control and care services to nine Southeast cities--has conducted similar canvasses in the past. But this year it is trying a new concept: Dog owners are being asked to pay immediately.

“In the past, we issued notices. This is the first canvass where we’re actually collecting the fee at the door,” Executive Director Dan Morrison said.

“It may seem a little harsh,” Morrison added, but residents who cannot pay up front are told they can pay within a week after being contacted by a collector.

It’s not as if the authority is saying, “Pay up or we’ll take you to jail,” he said.

Four-Week Canvasses

Besides Norwalk, the other cities being canvassed are Bell Gardens, Lynwood, Santa Fe Springs and Downey. Canvassing of each city will take about four weeks. Licenses are $15, except in Lynwood, where they cost $20. A late fee of $10 in Lynwood and $7.50 in the other cities will also be assessed on expired licenses.

Dogs need to be licensed, Morrison said, to ensure that they have rabies vaccinations. And because “it’s the responsibility of the city to ensure all dogs are vaccinated,” the cities have authorized the canvass, he said. Although cats can be licensed by owners, the authority is not targeting cats in the canvass.

“Citizens,” Morris said, “typically don’t purchase licenses voluntarily.”

Once a dog owner pays the fee, proof of vaccination must be shown before the license is issued. Licenses can be picked up at city hall.

In the past, the authority used to send its own animal control officers to canvass cities and issue a citation if dog owners did not comply. But last year, Morrison said, the agency hired the Mid-Valley Manpower Consortium, a nonprofit job-training program based in El Monte, to canvass the cities.

‘In It for the Money’

The consortium--which does dog license canvassing for the City and County of Los Angeles--trains people to canvass door-to-door. The consortium keeps half of the fees collected; the other half goes to the city where the money is collected.

“We’re in it for the money,” said Jeff Kennelly, assistant executive director of the consortium.

Kennelly said the fees have allowed the organization to create about 30 collectors jobs. The consortium is sending two teams of 10 people each to canvass the cities one at a time.

90% Collection Rate

When the organization canvassed the Southeast area last year, only about 30% of those cited eventually bought licenses, Kennelly said. But when dog owners are approached at the door, about 90% pay the fee, he said.

Morrison said enforcement of the remaining 10% who refuse to pay for a license is up to the city. One option would be to ask the authority to send officers and issue a citation. Dog owners then have a choice of either paying for the license or letting the citation turn into a warrant for arrest. Morrison said that the maximum punishment is a $1,000 fine and a year in jail, though he has “never seen a fine or a jail sentence that stiff.”

Kennelly said the work is not always pleasant. He said he has received angry phone calls from pet owners who called his collectors “communists.”

Lewis, who is usually dressed in blue work pants and a white shirt, said she gets more flak from dogs than people.

“I had a German shepherd who went for my neck once,” said Lewis, who defended herself with a metal clipboard.

She said that in more than a year as a collector, she has never been bitten. Even so, she said, “Sometimes you have some scary situations.”