Pet Licenses are Required for Furry Family Members; ‘License for Love’ Campaign Waives Late Fees

Do you have a furry, four-legged family member? If so, this is a friendly reminder that King County pet licenses are required for all dogs and cats eight weeks of age or older living in the Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) coverage area, which includes North Bend.

Pet licenses identify and protect your dog or cat if they get lost and offer other benefits, including the free Ride Home Program. The licenses are inexpensive, make it possible to reunite lost pets with their families, and support adoption services for homeless animals.

RASKC partners with the rescue community to provide foster homes for some of the animals they take in, veterinary medical education institutes to host students, provide spay and neuter mobile services at low cost and re-home feral cats to landowners at no charge.

The statistics for what RASKC deals with are staggering. In 2020, RASKC took in 3999 animals with an average shelter stay of 4.9 days. 692 animals were reunited with their owners, and 2575 were adopted, with 662 being euthanized. Animal services spayed or neutered 3507 critters and responded to 695 animal cruelty calls. All of these services cost money that licenses help to provide.

On April 1st RASKC launched its ‘License for Love’ campaign, which waives fees for expired pet licenses to ensure cats and dogs receive important protections. If you’ve fallen behind or have forgotten to renew your pet’s license, this campaign offers the perfect opportunity to renew without paying additional fees. The offer expires on June 30th.

RASKC provides service to the unincorporated portion of King County and the following contracting cities: Beaux-Arts, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Covington, Duvall, Enumclaw, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, North Bend, Redmond, Sammamish, SeaTac, Shoreline, Snoqualmie, Tukwila, Woodinville, Yarrow Point.

The City of North Bend usually sells pet licenses at City Hall, but due to the closure of City Hall related to the Covid-19 pandemic, pet license renewals/purchases should currently be made on the King County Regional Animal Services website.