BRYAN, Texas — It's something you may not think about when it comes to your furry friend, but the Aggieland Humane Society says pet owners should be getting their pets licensed with a Brazos County tag that applies to all Brazos County locals.
Those living in the area need to renew that license for their dogs, cats or ferrets once a year with their rabies vaccine.
“It’s a way to kind of monitor that all the pets are rabies vaccinated, which is always good to have in a community... it really elevates the health of your pets,” said Darby Makenzie, the humane society's communication specialist.
When a pet owner has a license for their furry friend, if its found injured with a tag, it can immediately be taken to a vet instead of going to a shelter first.
There’s a few owner benefits too, like extending a pet's stray hold.
"A lot of times what we see here is a family has gone out on vacation and the pet gets out. Most of the time if that pet has a tag, that stray time is extended from 3 days to 10 days, so that’s an extended period of time for you to get back into town to reclaim your pet,” Makenzie said.
If pet owners renew their license with Aggieland Humane, they’ll send a postcard to remind them of yearly Brazos County tag renewals and rabies vaccination.
“Basically, what you need to do is go see your vet, and if they don’t sell it, you can always come see Aggieland humane society or the Bryan animal center. Make sure that your rabies vaccination is up to date so go ahead and bring your rabies vaccination certificate and then we will issue you your county tag,” said Makenzie.
And if pet lovers need any more convincing, licensing your cat, dog or ferret helps the shelters, too.
“Whenever the pet comes in with a tag, we get to take a deep breath, because we know this pet is owned owners are coming for it and its not going to be here long. Proceeds from the tag sales go right back to the shelters, so they go back into funding animal programs in our community.”
Licensing your pet is just $15, and you can find out more about Aggieland Humane and all their programs on their website.
