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County decides pet laws Why must a dog be licensed and not a cat? Does it have to do with the way they are seen in the eyes of the law? Is one of them considered personal property and one not? When were the licensing laws set up and why? -- Rhonda R., Medford Sounds like you might be a dog person, Rhonda. Is one of your neighbor's feline companions using your flower bed as a litter box? If that's the case, there isn't much you can do about it through legal channels now. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners established the county as a dog control district and required all dogs to be licensed and vaccinated against rabies way back in 1933. Oregon law gives each county the authority to set up a dog control district and to require dogs to be licensed. We're not sure what the health and safety issues were at the time, but it's safe to bet man's best friend was probably making a nuisance of himself. Years and years ago, cats were just considered to be wild vermin or small predators, according to Colleen Macuk, program director for the Jackson County Animal Care and Control Center. Today, both dogs and cats are personal property in the eyes of the law. But while both cats and dogs are protected by animal welfare regulations, only dogs are regulated by Jackson County. Multnomah County and other jurisdictions across the United States do choose to license and regulate cats. The issue has occasionally come before the Jackson County Animal Control Advisory Committee, but there hasn't been enough public support for cat licensing for it to be enacted. The city of Medford considered and rejected regulating cats last year. Jackson County residents can voluntarily license their feline companions for a small annual fee, as long as they are vaccinated for rabies. But a license in itself doesn't regulate cat behavior. There would have to be additional regulations established to fine the owners of delinquent cats. Besides being a funding source for animal control programs, the license is mainly an identification device. The Jackson County shelter isn't required to take in cats, but it does, as much as funding allows. Up to Nov. 15 the shelter took in 2,729 cats. Only 35 of those were claimed by their owners. Another interesting tidbit of trivia is that each precinct in Jackson County has the power to decide whether to require dogs to be controlled. So while it's perfectly legal to allow your dog to run at large around the Jackson County Animal Shelter on Highway 99 north of Talent, it's not OK across the street. That doesn't mean that dogs can run around and misbehave. The county does have the power to cite the owners of dogs that do harm or make a nuisance of themselves. "Our goal is to promote voluntary responsible ownership," said Macuk. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA