Hippo came to the resource center over the summer after he was found wandering the streets. Hippo lacked a dog license and a collar and was not microchipped.
Regardless of his happy disposition, his allergies that cause him to lose fur on parts of his body may have been a hurdle for his adoption, according to shelter officials.
But on Friday, Hippo began his journey out to his forever home in Alaska, where a Shar Pei enthusiast found him while searching online.
Hippo greeted guests at a dog license sale launch event in Dayton before his departure Friday.
Dog licenses help the animal resource center locate the families of lost dogs, according to Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge.
“All it takes is your dog getting loose one time,” she said on Friday. “And that is why this is important.”
The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office sent out more than 50,000 renewal notices to Montgomery County dog owners.
But the resource center estimates that more than 140,000 dogs live among people in Montgomery County. The animal resource center has space for less than 1% of that population with kennels for 79 medium-to-large dogs and 40 small dogs.
More than $1 million is generated through the sale annually, according to the auditor’s office. Owners whose dogs are spayed or neutered will pay a $20 license fee, and owners whose dogs have not been altered will pay $24 for each dog tag.
“It’s an important and valuable source of financial support for the care and control of animals,” Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said. “It’s the right thing to do and the safe thing to do.”
All dogs older than three months must be licensed under Ohio law. The licenses must be renewed annually, unless the owner has a three-year or permanent license that can only be purchased in person from the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office in the County Administration Building at 451 W. Third St.
Licenses can be purchased year-round at the Montgomery County Administration Building and at the Animal Resource Center or by electronic payment online at www.mcohio.org/dogs.
Last year, nearly 60% of the county’s dog licenses were sold online, but an application for a license can also be mailed to the auditor’s office. Licenses can also be purchased at one of the 15 outposts in the county.
According to data from 2023 dog license sales, the most popular dog breeds in Montgomery County are Labrador retrievers, pit bull terriers (which include American Staffordshire terriers and American bull terriers) and German shepherds.
Ways to help dogs at the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center:
- Adopt: Profiles about every adoptable dog at the animal resource center can be found on the center’s website.
- Foster: The county is in need of foster parents for dogs. People older than 18 may be eligible to foster a dog.
- Volunteer: Multiple volunteer opportunities exist, ranging from dog socializing to cleaning up kennels.
- Donate: The shelter has a wishlist of supplies it needs to tend to its animals.
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