Is your dog licensed? Don’t ask, don’t tell

State law and the town code both say Rover requires a dog license.

But what if he doesn’t have one? Does it really matter on Shelter Island?

As long as Rover stays out of the neighbor’s chicken coop and otherwise keeps his nose clean, a “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” appears to be in effect on the Island when it comes to dog licenses.

After learning that was the case, the Town Clerk’s office recently stopped sending out follow-up letters to dog owners warning them they would face a summons if they don’t renew their pet’s annual $5 license.

Deputy Clerk Sharon Jacobs used to send out two warning letters to owners after their dog’s license had expired. She stopped doing so after Dog Warden George Butts told her last summer that his boss, Police Chief James Read, had instructed him not to issue summonses for unlicensed dogs unless they were found running at large or otherwise creating a nuisance.

With that news, the clerk’s office also stopped keeping Mr. Butts informed of dog owners who had ignored the clerk’s two warning letters.

For more about the town’s dog licensing practices, see next week’s November 29 edition of the Reporter.