WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- If you don't have a license for your dog, you might want to think about getting one soon. According to the state, dog wardens have already started going door to door and handing out fines if dog owners don't have the proper paperwork.
Inside the Lycoming County SPCA, Jeannette Lednum did her best to fill out some forms, but it seemed her 7-year-old Pitbull Sasha had other plans.
"She gets so excited. She sees other dogs and she loves to play with everybody else," Lednum said.
With Sasha promised a treat, it took Lednum just a few minutes to fill out some forms to update her pooch's dog license.
This tag can be used by the state to identify who owns Sasha and to tell if she's up to date on her vaccinations.
"I think it's important to make sure that they're accounted for because she's healthy and we want to make sure that every other animal in the neighborhood is healthy too," Lednum said.
The executive director at the shelter, Vickie Stryker, has been trying to reach the owner of one dog. The dog wasn't wearing a license when he was found.
"If we find a dog, we can look up their number through the treasurer and find out who the animal belongs to and it can go back to its owner," Stryker explained.
Over the next two months, state dog wardens will be going door to door in Lycoming County and throughout our area to make sure pet owners have licenses for their dogs.
And according to the Department of Agriculture, people should be able to easily recognize a dog warden by what they're wearing and what they're driving.
"If you don't have a dog license, you could face a fine," Stryker said.
A dog license here at the SPCA costs under $10. The fine can be up to $300 if you're found breaking that law.
Lednum says that's just one of the reasons she came to buy a license for Sasha.
"She wants to do her part to be a good part of the community."
If you need a license for your dog, you should contact your county treasurer's office.
Some communities also have their own licensing requirements, check with your local municipality to make sure that your dog is properly licensed.