The number of licensed dogs in Westmoreland County is expected to increase this year all because of the Internet.
A new program started last month allows pet owners to purchase licenses for their canine friends from the comfort of their own home.
“We expect there will be an increase in licenses,” said county Treasurer Jared Squires, whose courthouse office is responsible for selling dog licenses.
“I fully anticipate a 20 (percent) to 30 percent increase in licenses sold this year,” he said.
Squires' office last year sold 45,300 licenses. Those were issued either in person at the courthouse in Greensburg or via traditional mail.
In December, the first month the online system was in place, 10,522 licenses were sold, compared to 7,804 in December 2012, according to Squires.
Dog owners are now able to purchase licenses on the county's website, using credit cards as a payment method. The Internet purchases are the only way in which credit cards can be used to buy the licenses.
The licenses cost $8.45 for dogs that are not spayed or neutered; and $6.45 for dogs that are.
Senior citizens pay $2 less for dog licenses.
Squires said there is no cost to taxpayers to implement the online licensing system, but customers who purchase dog tags via the Internet will pay a $1.95 service fee.
Westmoreland County retains $1 for every dog tag sold.
Squires said he wants to expand online payments for other licenses and fees administered through the treasurer's office.
By the end of this year, he said, hotel taxes paid for room occupancies throughout the county could be tendered by businesses through the Internet.
And hunting and fishing licenses might soon be sold online.
However, antlerless deer licenses cannot be sold via the Internet, Squires said.
“Those are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and the state requires they get mailed in or sold over the counter,” he said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
