[Archived] City of Alexandria Improves Animal Licensing Process With New Online Option

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2015

The City of Alexandria has expanded its animal licensing program to include a new online option.  Pet owners may now register dogs or cats, or renew existing licenses, by visiting www.alexandriaanimals.org/licensing.

Online customers can upload required documentation and pay license fees by credit card, and multiple pets may be licensed in the same transaction.  A permanent license tag for each animal will then be delivered by mail.  To improve the efficiency and security of processing and payment data, online registration is handled by a third-party vendor under contract with the City.

City Code requires all dogs and cats over the age of four months to be licensed, and requires each owner to obtain a license within 30 days of acquiring the pet or moving it into the City of Alexandria.  Licensing and enforcement helps reunite lost pets, reduces the spread of rabies, decreases the number of animals entering shelters, offsets the expense of caring for lost, stray, surrendered, and abandoned animals, and helps the City plan resources like dog parks and animal control services.  The City of Alexandria and the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria encourage pet owners to spay or neuter their pets to avoid overpopulation.   

The one-year license fee is $10 for an altered (spayed or neutered) dog (with a $5 discount for owners age 65 and older), or $30 for an unaltered dog.  The one-year license fee is $2 for an altered cat, or $10 for an unaltered cat.  Depending on the length of the animal’s rabies vaccination, a multi-year dog license is available for $25 (altered) or $75 (unaltered), and a multi-year cat license is available for $5 (altered) or $25 (unaltered).  Each license expires at the end of the month in which the pet’s rabies vaccination expires.  There is no penalty for licensing a previously unlicensed pet.

In addition to the new online option, customers may continue to licenses pets in person and by mail.  All customers must provide a copy of each dog or cat’s current rabies certificate.  To obtain a license fee discount for pet owners age 65 years and older, or a license fee discount for spayed or neutered pets, documentation is required.  All checks for license fees should be made payable to City of Alexandria.

• Online:  Visit www.alexandriaanimals.org/licensing.  All major credit cards are accepted, and a small convenience fee will apply per transaction.
• By Mail: Send required documentation and checks to the City in care of its third-party processor: City of Alexandria Animal Licensing, c/o PetData, PO Box 141929, Irving, TX  75014-1929.  
• In Person: Visit the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter at 4101 Eisenhower Ave. For shelter hours, visit www.alexandriaanimals.org.   Animals to be licensed do not need to be brought to the shelter.

For more information about animal licensing in the City of Alexandria, visit www.alexandriaanimals.org/licensing or call toll-free 855-844-9553.  For general questions or media inquiries, call 703.746.4774.

This news release is available online at www.alexandriava.gov/83719.