Pet owners will pay fines in 9 days

If all the pet owners who have delayed buying pet tags continue to procrastinate, they could contribute to the city’s coffers.

“The city’s pet data base has 470 pets listed,” Deputy City Clerk Stephanie Ax said. “About 100 have their 2011 tags, leaving 370 whose owners will be fined a late charge of $15 per animal if they don’t register their pets by Jan. 31.”

Ax figured the remaining fines could total more than $5,000.

“That would be quite a revenue stream,” she said.

The basic charge for pet tags is $5 per tag for neutered pets and $10 each for pets that are not neutered.

“The late fee adds an additional $15 to the cost of each tag,” said Ax. “Anyone with multiple pets could end up spending quite a bit.”

Proof of current vaccinations must be presented at the time pet tag purchases.

For more information, contact the Peabody city office at (620) 983-2174.