Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
While the April 15 due date has passed for the yearly licensing of dogs in Three Forks, City officials continue to encourage and stress the importance of getting their pets registered with the municipality.
According to City Clerk Crystal Turner, as of last Thursday, there are 156 licensed dogs within City Limits, and she estimates the number could be as high as 800 to 1,000.
To license in Three Forks, residents must pay $15 per dog and show they have a current rabies vaccine on record.
Turner said along with the safety concerns of providing proof the dog is vaccinated for rabies, another reason for the licensing is that even the nicest dogs can be unpredictable and bite when they are scared or feel threatened.
"If they get out loose and are lost and confused, they are going to feel scared. So, if they bite someone trying to help them, licensing the dog would help us locate the owner faster," Turner said.
Currently, if a dog is on the loose in Three Forks, the city will call all those in the licensed list that match the description, saving a trip to the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter or a ticket for a dog at large or unlicensed dog.
In addition to paying fees at the pound, the owner may get a ticket for having an unlicensed dog and one for having a dog at large.
A judge could issue either tickets for up to $500 each or $1,000 for dangerous dogs.
Three Forks city ordinance 6-4A-1 defines a dangerous dog as "any dog which bites or attempts to bite any human being without provocation, or which harasses, chases, bites, or attempts to bite any other animal."
CITY ORDINANCES
Penalties for dangerous and nuisance dogs, and unlicensed: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/threeforksmt/latest/threeforks_mt/0-0-0-1697
Animals running at large penalties: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/threeforksmt/latest/threeforks_mt/0-0-0-1758
