LONG BEACH : City to Pick Up Trail of Unlicensed Dogs

The manager of the city’s Animal Control Bureau has a bone to pick with thousands of residents here. And he’s about to bring in some out-of-town muscle to help him do it.

The problem, Roger Hatakeyama says, is unlicensed dogs. According to Hatakeyama’s records, there were 40,000 licensed dogs in Long Beach eight years ago. Now, there are only about 25,000--and he doesn’t believe all those pets simply left town.

“I guesstimate there might be up to 60,000 dogs in the city and we’re seeing a lot more strange and abandoned animals lately,” Hatakeyama said. “And unlicensed dogs are a liability to the community because we can’t tell if they’ve had rabies shots.”

Earlier this month, the City Council approved Hatakeyama’s proposal to hire a County Animal Control team specializing in finding and licensing dogs. About 30 people from the county’s team will be going door-to-door, Hatakeyama said, trying to license pets and issuing citations to scofflaw owners. Those who decline to buy a $10 or $20 license will receive a citation that can carry $130 in fines, Hatakeyama said. The lower license fee is offered for spayed or neutered dogs.

Following the City Council’s decision Feb. 1 to have the county team canvass neighborhoods, dog-license sales jumped dramatically, Hatakeyama said. The city’s animal control office has sold about $1,000 worth of licenses a day, up from the normal $200 to $300.

Under the agreement with the county, the animal control team will keep the first $61,000 it collects in licensing fees. After that, the city and county will split the revenue evenly.