Licensing your dog in NYC is the law. Why do so few people do it?

Hey, you got a license for that dog?

For more than 130 years, state law has required New Yorkers to have a license for their dogs. It is rarely enforced, but there are some perks to following the letter of the law, especially if Fido wanders off his leash.

A more comprehensive registry could also offer New Yorkers another way to explore one of the city’s most time-honored traditions: sizing each other up by borough.

On March 8, 1894, New York state passed what became the first animal control ordinance in the United States. The law aimed to control the dog population.

Back then, licenses cost $2. Today, the licenses through the Department of Health cost $8.50 for neutered or spayed dogs, but the process is largely bureaucratic and functions more like a suggestion.

Several dog owners sa