What you need to know if you want to have a pet in America

Фото: Depositphotos

“Whiskers, paws and tail - these are my documents,” said the cat Matroskin from Prostokvashino confidently. And if for the CIS countries such an answer would be quite normal, then in the USA animals must have documents. And a plus to this is a mandatory license, which is purchased every year, all the necessary vaccinations and a medallion with data on the collar.

ForumDaily figured out what to do to legalize your pet in America. And where better to buy it, if you think about a new member of your family.

How did the Permian dog Bradley have American documents?

Yuri Bocharov and his dog Bradley. Photo: from the personal archive

Cane Corso dog named Bradley is already 3, he lives in the United States. From his native Perm to the city of Louisville, Connecticut, he moved with his masters when they won the green card. Yuri Bocharov, the head of the family, says: it was even more difficult to collect all the documents for a dog than to arrange a move for yourself, the wife and the children.

“I’m just tired of collecting all these pieces of paper. You take the dog, drag it to the other end of the city, sit in line for the sake of some kind of certificate. And so - several times,” says Yuri.

Upon arrival, at first it didn’t even occur to the former Russian that Bradley needed to be registered. And for some time the dog lived the same way as in Russia - only with a veterinary passport. But then an unpleasant incident occurred: a neighbor complained about the dog to the police - he thought it was barking too loudly. Then Yuri began to analyze the state legislation in detail and read that, it turns out, a license is required for a dog.

“First we went to the veterinarian, where the dog was examined and given vaccinations, which we were missing. And then, already at home, I filled out an online application for a license, where I had to indicate the number of the veterinary clinic and the number of vaccinations. Then I paid, and three weeks later the badge arrived in the mail,” recalls Yuri.

The badge contains the owner's phone number and the license number, which must be renewed every year. And every year the color of the medallion will be different. Finding where to apply is not difficult - you just need to write the dog license and the name of the city in the search engine. The desired site will appear immediately. For example, like this online licensing looks like in washington. Keep in mind that when moving from state to state, you will have to repeat the procedure again. For cats, these rules also apply.

Every dog ​​in the USA must have a license

Photo: depositphotos.com

The main answer to the question “why does my dog ​​have a license?” Is very simple: the law requires it. Site Doglaw gives a simple example: having a dog without a license is the same as driving a car without a driver's license. You move freely along the streets and highways, but only until the first police stop or the first incident on the road. That is, until neighbors have complained about your dog or it has bitten someone, you are unlikely to encounter Animal Control. But if the above cases do occur, you will have to pay a fine for not having a license many times more than the annual price for a license. For example, legalizing a dog for a year costs on average $20-30. And the fine, depending on the state, is about $250.

By the way, a license for an unsterialized dog will cost more. “I was immediately offered to castrate Bradley. I refused, so I pay $50 a year,” says Yuri Bocharov.

In addition, the resulting medallion will help to quickly find a dog or a cat if they are lost. And such animals have more chances to survive - in case of catching unlicensed pets “animal control” can simply put them to sleep.

Another important point is the opportunity to sue if you think the dog has been stolen. A similar would qualify as a crime only if, again, the dog has a license.

Where to get a pet

1 Option: Shelter

Shelter in Arlington, Va. Photo: Lesya Bakalets

If you came to the country without animals and decided to get a pet in a new place, the best option (and also an economical one) is to contact local shelters.

“Please don't buy animals! It’s better to adopt from a shelter - this way you will save 2 lives at once: you give one animal a home, and thereby make room for another homeless one,” says Chelsea Lindsay from “Animal Charity League ” in arlington, virginia.

The girl conducts a tour for ForumDaily at the shelter and at the same time tells that all the animals here are either lost or abandoned by their owners. But the abandoned ones are not on the street. In the USA, if for some reason a person can no longer support an animal, he brings it to a shelter.

Chesley Lindsay and one of the orphanage pets. Photo: Lesya Bakalets

There is everything here: cats, dogs, and even ferrets. “If they bring us, for example, a snake, and the person proves that he is a resident of Arlington, we will accept it,” Chelsea assures.

The first thing potential pet owners are asked to do is fill out a form. There will be questions about where you live, whether you have permission from the landlord, if the apartment is rented, and what the square footage of the housing is.

“We ask if there are children and how old they are. This will help you choose exactly the dog or cat that suits you best. After all, it happens that a client takes a liking to a dog that, for example, does not like to share toys or food. And there is a small child in the house. That is, conflict is inevitable. In this case, we recommend looking at other animals,” explains Chelsea.

First she shows the cat room. There are no cells here. Each has its own small apartment - 2 floors, toys, and 1 of the walls is glass. Through it, potential owners observe the animals. “It’s like they have small apartments here,” the girl jokes.

Cat Yoda, whom Roman took from a shelter. Photo: from the personal archive

In one of the similar shelters of his cat, Yodo, he was found by a former Kiev resident Roman Shishkin. He moved to Florida about 2 years ago. As soon as he settled in a new place, he immediately thought of a pet. He says that there were several shelters in the district, and he simply chose the nearest one.

“After we looked at the cats through the glass, on a special form we wrote down the numbers of those we would like to look at more closely. Then we were invited to another room, where the cats were brought in one by one. We chose as many as 3 options, but Yoda was shown first, and we settled on him,” says Roman.

Documents, free food and insurance - the set that Roman received along with the kitten. Photo: from personal archive

Roman was unable to take the animal right away: first, Yoda had a vasectomy - the seminal canals were blocked. In this shelter, cats are not castrated in the traditional way, so such an operation does not affect their behavior in the future.

“Then I paid $50 - this is the price for the operation. We also received insurance for $300, a list of clinics with which the shelter cooperates, and a detailed plan - when and what vaccinations to give,” the guy recalls.

All shelters do sterilization of dogs, cats and even rabbits. Moreover, Chelsea strongly recommends: if you bought a dog or were given one as a gift, do not be lazy to organize such an operation. “Most people, after giving birth to puppies, simply don’t know what to do with them. This is how the number of shelter residents increases,” says the girl.

Option 2: buy from breeders

Photo: depositphotos.com

It’s another matter if you want to breed dogs professionally, that is, become a breeder. Yuri was already thinking about such activities. He says his Bradley is a very expensive breed. “You could also bring a girl here and sell the puppies for $3-4 thousand. But this requires both a license and conditions. So I decided to hold off on this idea for now,” he says.

The price for a puppy that Yuri announced is quite realistic. Purebred dogs and cats are an expensive pleasure in general, and especially in the USA. But if you decide to spend the money, check the breeder thoroughly first, Chelsea advises.

“Sometimes these are just incubators where puppies are kept in terrible conditions, and the stud dog gives birth and gives birth without interruption. As a result, the offspring turn out to be weak and sick.”

Often, such dogs, if animal advocates pay attention to the breeder, end up in shelters, and often, Chelsea Lindsay says, they cannot be saved.

Therefore, it is important to check whether the breeder is in the list of dog organizations. For example, in American Kennel club. And be sure to personally come for a puppy. No home delivery, Chelsea warns, as you have to see with your own eyes what conditions animals live in. In addition, you need not only to look at the puppy, but also to see his mother. Because often for the presentation of the kids transferred to beautiful baskets or boxes, while the dog-mother lives in the barn.

Expensive pleasure

Photo: depositphotos.com

Think about whether you can feed, and most importantly, treat your pet? Chelsea asks this question to everyone who comes to the shelter. He says he knows how expensive it is: “I had a cat who was diagnosed with some kind of infection. The treatment cost me $3 thousand.” Of course, you can buy insurance for an animal, but the system will work the same way as with people - the more the policy covers, the more expensive it is. And often emergency cases are simply not included in the insurance.

In addition, consider the price of vaccination and feed (in the USA it is not customary to feed dogs or cats human food) and daily care - for example, walking services. The result will be a round sum. Chelsea says that's why she doesn't have any animals now—she figured she simply couldn't afford to even have a cat, let alone a dog.

But in general, the USA is simply a paradise for animals. Roman says: the veterinarian makes an appointment for a specific time, there is no need to sit in queues, the service is always at the same level. Moreover, his cat Yoda periodically receives letters and postcards from the clinic reminding him about vaccinations. It’s written there: dear Yoda, we are waiting for you to receive us.”

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