Wayne County dog license deadline extended
The dog tag deadline has been extended until Feb. 28 in Wayne County.
The deadline to purchase a dog license in Wayne County has been extended until Feb. 28, and no penalty fees will be assessed until the new deadline passes. The county commissioners approved the extension in a special session on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
According to Wayne County auditor Jarra Underwood, a change in licensing procedure coupled with technical challenges created the need to extend the deadline and give dog owners a longer window of opportunity to purchase the license state law requires.
Dog licensing moved online this year after the county partnered with Docupet to fulfill dog-license purchases; 87% of dog tags were purchased online at waynecounty.docupet.com without any issues. However, some users were unaware of the change or could not complete their purchases through the website.
Because late fees and citations may be issued for unlicensed dogs, understandably, the move created frustration among users who needed help purchasing a license.
“We had to find a new way to license dogs,” Underwood said. “Our previous software system of 20-plus years became obsolete, and there was no way to get support for it any longer. We researched vendors and moved online with Docupet. Very few vendors provide this service, and we felt this was our best option.”
Dog owners who would like to renew online or had trouble renewing online can call the auditor's office and request an access code to log in to their account. The phone number is 330-287-5444. A license also can be purchased in person or by mailing the owner’s name and dog information with payment to Wayne County Auditor, 428 W. Liberty St., Wooster, OH 44691. Correspondence must be postmarked by Feb. 28.
“In the past we mailed notices out to pet owners. So people are used to getting a notice in the mail when their tags are due,” Underwood said. “We collected email addresses, but our old system did not utilize email or internet technology. So when we moved our database to the new system, many email addresses were no longer in use. They bounced back to Docupet, and those people never received their notice to renew. Some went to spam, and others thought it was a scam and deleted the email.”
The auditor’s staff is working closely with Docupet to make it easier to purchase a license online.
“We are working through these issues with Docupet,” Suzanne Altland of the auditor’s office said. “If a pet has not been licensed before, there is an option on the Docupet website to set up a new account.”
For more information visit www.waynecountyauditor.org or www.waynedogshelter.org. To purchase a dog license, visit waynecounty.docupet.com.
Dan Starcher is the public communications coordinator for the Wayne County government.