June 30 was the last day to register your dog in Connecticut without the possibility of a late fee, but Town Clerk Donna Rajczewski says the first month’s late fee is only a dollar more.
And the Town Clerk’s Office may still look the other way on Thursday. Typically there’s a grace period until July 3 (but this year, town offices are closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day). Starting on Monday, have that extra dollar ready. Fees (including late fees) go to a state rabies clinic (the town neither controls the fees nor gets to keep any part of them).
To register your canine, you need to have a current rabies certificate (as long as your dog isn’t due for a new shot until September, your certificate is still good, Rajczewski says). “Typically, puppies get one-year rabies shots, and after that it’s typically three years,” she said.
Last year, 2,400 dogs were licensed in Darien (which has a population of not much more than 20,000, so for about every eight homo sapiens in town, there’s one (registered) canine. There are quite a few households in town with multiple dogs
The cost to license your dog (aside from getting the rabies shots) is $8 if the dog is spayed or neutered and $19 otherwise. Starting next week, add a dollar to that, and a dollar each month till next June, when the process starts all over.