Online Dog Licensing Unleashed in the City of Syracuse

Published on September 11, 2018

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The City of Syracuse today announced that DocuPet, a municipal pet licensing service, began processing dog licenses for the City online Monday afternoon. Dog owners now have the ability to register their dogs and renew their pet license at syracuse.docupet.com. New York State and City of Syracuse ordinances require that all dog owners residing within the City obtain annual dog licenses for their pets. In addition to its licensing service, DocuPet’s membership program offers several benefits, including the HomeSafeTM Lost Pet System that has reunited hundreds of pets with their owners and the DocuPet Rewards Program, which will provide discounts and special offers to Syracuse pet store retailers. “This collaboration will enhance the dog-licensing process by supporting proper dog identification and rewarding responsible dog ownership,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. “DocuPet is an example of how technology can improve city services and efficiency, by implementing an easier process with the capability to register your dog and pay online.” The city estimates that less than 15 percent of dogs are licensed, yet licensing and proper identification are core methods for protecting the welfare of dogs. Low compliance results in challenges for Animal Control teams as well as for dogs and their owners. Without proper identification and easily-accessible information about a dog, pets will end up in a shelter if they go missing. “Beyond being required by law, licensing your dog is an important step to protect your pet,” said City Clerk John Copanas. “Working with DocuPet is a proactive measure that we hope will significantly increase the number of dog licenses in the City of Syracuse, which is good for the City and for dog owners.” All new dog license purchases and renewals will be valid for 365 days from the date of purchase, at which point they must be renewed. If residents hold a current dog license, it will remain valid until its expiry date. The cost of a license is 10 dollars for spayed or neutered dogs and 20 dollars for dogs which have not been. “Running an effective licensing program is incredibly important for the welfare of dogs. Keeping lost dogs out of shelters and returning them to their parents is our priority at DocuPet. Our entire team becomes involved. Over the past five years we have helped hundreds of lost pets get back home, but there is still the same joy in the office every time we get the news that we have another success story. We are really looking forward to helping dogs in Syracuse get home safe,” says Grant Goodwin, CEO of DocuPet. Anyone who has previously licensed a dog with the City of Syracuse will receive a reminder from DocuPet by mail with information about how to renew their license and activate their online account.