Doggedly Trying To License All Groton Tail-Waggers

Twenty years ago, when Donna Duso was known as the dog-catcher (pre Animal Planet, she jokes; “Overnight, I went from being the evil dog catcher” to a kind of hero.) she was very successful in her door-to-door campaign to track down Groton’s unlicensed dogs. Her motives purely altruistic; keep dogs safe, vaccinated, spayed or neutered and licensed.

And more than 1,000 dogs were licensed as a result.

On and off over the years, she’s done the door-to-door enforcement routine, but it’s a hugely time consuming effort; Duso is busy, very busy rescuing cats from fires, dealing with wildlife complaints, cruelty investigations, stray dogs, dog bites and the like. She hopes folks will just do the right thing and get their dogs licensed.

But just in case …they’re back! Animal control officers – in addition to Duso there is a full time and a part time Assistant Animal Control Officer -- are going house to house in search of dogs that need to be licensed. And while there are currently 2,196 dogs licensed in town, Duso suspects there’s double that amount, maybe even way more, that are unlicensed.

“I’m friendly. I make it easy for you when I’m at your door,” the Groton Animal Control Officer said. And she’ll be making the rounds: “We’re not picking on any one area. We’re bouncing around neighborhoods.”

Last February animal control did a big push and brought in more than $2,000 in license fees. And, Duso and Town Clerk Betsy Moukawsher want the community to know that half the fee goes directly back to animal control, per state law and similar programming – like spay and neuter -- and enforcement.

Speaking of state law, in Connecticut dogs 6 months and older must be licensed yearly in the town in which they reside and failure to do so can result in a $75 fine. To license your dog a current rabies vaccination is required and licenses can be purchased at the Town Clerk’s office in Town Hall which is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 4:30.

But Duso said in an effort “to help people out,” beginning July 1, dog’s can take their owners to the Animal Control facility, next to the Groton Town Police Department, at 110 Groton Long Point Road to license their dog as well, Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

If you have any questions please call Groton Animal Control at (860) 441-6709. 

To obtain a license, a valid rabies certificate which includes the vaccination expiration date must be presented. The charge for an un-neutered or un-spayed dog is $19; neutered or spayed dogs are $8. Veterinarian's proof must be presented. The license year runs from July 1 thru June 30, and a penalty of $1 per month is charged for dogs that are licensed after June 30. Renewal reminder forms are mailed in late May for currently licensed dogs.