Surrey Dog Licence Information - Mascot Animal Hospital

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Dog Licensing

All dogs in Surrey that are over three months old are required to have a valid licence. To ensure compliance, each licensed dog must wear its licence tag on a collar at all times. Additionally, a maximum of three dogs can be licensed per property unless a valid hobby or commercial kennel licence has been obtained.

Dog licensing requirements

All dogs over the age of three months in Surrey must have a current licence.
Dogs must always wear their dog licence on a collar around their neck.
No more than three dogs can be licensed to a property at one time, unless there is a hobby or commercial kennel licence in place.

Any unlicensed dog can be impounded for failure to have a dog licence. Keeping your dog licence up-to-date is part of your responsibilities as a dog owner in Surrey.

Online dog licensing services

You can register for a dog licence, make changes to an existing account, and pay to renew your dog licence online.

Applications for the following dogs must be completed in person or by mail:

BC Guide and Service Dog
Police Dog
Dog deemed guard, aggressive, vicious or dangerous

Dog licensing benefits

Dog licensing in Surrey is primarily used for ensuring dog identification and proof of ownership. It also provides us with statistics that can be used to assess and develop dog facilities such as off-leash dog parks.

The funding from dog licensing is used when responding to:

hurt or stray animals in emergencies
pet adoption services
public education related to pet ownership
enforcement of pet ownership bylaws

Dog classifications

Aggressive dogs

An aggressive dog means a dog that:

displays aggressive behaviour toward a person or animal; or
has caused a minor injury to a person or animal while unprovoked.

Guard dogs

A guard dog means a dog that:

is specifically trained for or used primarily for the purposes of guarding property. This includes residential, commercial and industrial property.

Vicious dogs

A vicious dog is a dog that:

has caused an unprovoked, serious injury to a person or animal; or
has a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack without justifiable provocation; or
has on more than one occasion caused a minor injury to a person or animal; or
has, while running at large and unprovoked, aggressively pursued or harassed a person. Or, it has a demonstrated a tendency to do so as deemed by an Animal Control Officer or Animal Shelter Manager.

Dangerous dogs

A dog may be considered dangerous if:

It has attacked, bitten, caused injury to a person on private or public property, or has shown tendency to do so.
It aggressively pursues or harasses a person or domestic animal while at large.
It has attacked, bitten, killed, or caused injury to a domestic animal. Or, it has aggressively pursued or harassed a domestic animal while off leash.

What to do if the City of Surrey considers your dog dangerous:

Keep the dog in a six-sided pen when not in the house.
Keep the dog muzzled and on leash when off the property and under the control of a competent person.
Expect to pay a higher dog licence fee.

Fines for not following the regulations for dangerous dogs are severe.