New pet licensing program comes to Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John says its new partnership with a pet licensing program could help reduce the number of animals at the local SPCA.

DocuPet is a pet profile, lost pet and licensing platform the city is now utilizing to help residents protect their pets.

All dogs in Fort St. John must have a valid licence, but all licences expiring on December 31st, 2023, will be extended to January 31st, 2024, to allow owners to transition to DocuPet.

According to the city, all licences previously expired each year on December 31st, but with the new program, all licences will be valid for a year after the date of purchase.

Registration for the program is available online, by phone, mail or in person at City Hall.

“We are excited to partner with DocuPet as their online licensing solution will be extremely valuable to pet owners and a necessity for animal safety within our community,” said Director of Public Safety and Fire Chief Robert Norton.

“This pet licensing partnership will open up space and vital resources for pets that truly need our care.”

Each license will also include DocuPet’s HomeSafe feature, a lost pet service, at no extra cost. 

Every tag has a unique code on the back linked to the dog’s online profile. If the dog gets loose, anyone who finds it can use this code and contact the dispatch team to connect with the owner.

Pet owners can choose from hundreds of tag options, and the pet’s name and phone number can be added for an additional fee.

A 20 per cent portion of each tag purchase will be donated to local animal welfare initiatives.

Dog owners can learn more and register online on DocuPet’s website.

The new system was launched after the amended dog licensing bylaw was adopted during a November 27th council meeting. The water regulation and sewer use regulation and charges amendment bylaws were adopted during the meeting as well.