by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — Wellington may or may not be going to the dogs, depending on your point of view, but you do need to get a dog tag for your animal if you live in town. The deadline was March 1, but tags are always available and are cheap. The cost is $3 for a spayed animal, or $6 for one non spayed.

The value of having a dog tag on your animal is that if the animal gets lost, it can be identified and returned to the owner.

There is a rather hefty fine for not getting a tag. An owner can be fined $106 if a dog is picked up running at large with no tag. Another drawback is that authorities have no way of identifying the owner, and in this case an animal could be put down in six days.

Police Chief Tracy Heath said it is not a huge problem, but it does exist. He estimated 25 percent of animals that are picked up do not have tags.  Cats must also be tagged, and Heath said the problem of cats is much worse, and there is a problem of feral – or wild – cats that is more common than with dogs.

Last year there were 262 dogs and 192 cats picked up by the animal control officer after having been reported running at large.

Animals are taken to the Wellington Animal Clinic and are held there. If no owner claims the animal, there is an attempt to find a home. The local humane society is involved in adopting animals. Heath said homes are found for many of the dogs, but not many of the cats, so a lot more cats are put down.

There are about two dog bites reported per month on average, and often this is a dog at large.

Dog tags are available at City Hall or at area veterinarians.

Follow us on Twitter.