March 8, 1894 – New York Enacts First State Dog License Law

The first state law for licensing dogs was enacted on this day in history. Records do survive of various municipalities, but not states, enacting taxes and requiring licenses for dogs, including 1853 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and 1864 in Henrietta, New York.

In any event, on this day in 1894, the entire state of New York announced that dog owners were required to obtain a yearly permit for ownership, at the cost of 2 dollars (about $50 in today’s money). The ASPCA was entrusted with enforcing the new statute.

The New York City Department of Records & Information noted this interesting information in May, 2022:

The dog license ledger from the Village of Far Rockaway, dated 1896 to 1897, only a couple of years after the state law was passed, shows how the information required to register a dog with the government remains largely unchanged. Just as it does today, the registration asks for the owner’s name and the dog’s breed, description, and name. The price for registering seems to range between $1 and $2 per year (compared to $8.50 today).”

The law has no doubt contributed to state coffers lucratively: Pressconnects states that 43% of New Yorkers own a pet, 30% of which are dogs (compared to 20% cats). While the percentages don’t sound like a lot, remember how many people live in New York. In New York City alone, Business Insider reports there are 600,000 dogs.

You can read the text of the original state law in New York here. A compendium of New York dog laws is here. In addition, you can view the New York City Dog Licensing Dataset and check out data such as breeds and names for city dogs getting a license.