Городские власти Иллинойса внедрили единую платформу для регистрации животных и контроля бешенства

Eastern Iowa cities adopt new pet registration system, improves lost pet recovery process New platform combines pet registration, dog park access and rabies tracking in one system WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) - A new pet registration platform is making it easier for residents in several Eastern Iowa cities to license their animals while helping the city track rabies vaccinations and reunite lost pets with their owners. Waterloo, Dubuque and Tiffin require residents to register their pet with the city and pay a small fee. All three have switched over to a system called DocuPet within the past year, with Tiffin starting to use the program last month. In Waterloo, DocuPet allows pet owners to pay once for both a pet license and access to the city’s dog park. Keeping pets out of shelters If a registered pet goes missing and is wearing a DocuPet tag, the ID number on the tag allow animal control or law enforcement authorities to call the company to get address information. Ryan Doland, an animal control specialist with the city of Waterloo, they return the animal directly to the owner’s home at no charge. Doland said the system’s ability to quickly identify and return lost animals is central to its value. “We keep the dog out of the shelter, which is the ultimate goal. We want to return animals home, not fill up the shelters,” he said. Andrea Ramos, a dog owner who visits Waterloo’s Pat Bowlsby Dog Park regularly, said she already uses a GPS tracker on her pets, but that DocuPet will add another layer of reassurance. “I spent the money to get a tracker, but now I feel even more confident that they can find out who to take the dogs to,” Ramos said. Tracking pets, tracking vaccines Doland said the platform also serves a public health function. In the year since the city switched to DocuPet, the required rabies vaccine records have been easier to monitor because the system syncs with local veterinarian records. “On top of that, if you don’t have a license and you’re supposed to, DocuPet will mail you out a form and say ‘hey, you got your rabies shots at Den Herder Veterinary Clinic, you also need to register your animal with the city,’” Doland said. Doland estimates there are about 20,000 pets in Waterloo, but only about 2,200 dogs and cats are licensed so far. He said he is hopeful that number will continue to grow. “I think we’re on a good track, you know, to get all pets licensed and the good thing is, when you do license your pet, the money that you’re paying to the city helps the city with animal welfare right here in our own city,” Doland said. Licensing a pet costs $15 if they are spayed or neutered and $25 if they are not. According to Doland, the city pays more than $100,000 a year to contract with the Cedar Bend Humane Society. “We have an issue in town with dogs running loose, cats running loose, overpopulation of feral cats, so with DocuPet, money that comes into the city is only going to help with those issues,” he said. Dubuque, Tiffin also using the platform Dubuque estimates it will save $36,000 this year from switching to its former pet registration system to DocuPet. For Waterloo, Doland said the initial fee was about $5,000, which the city earned back through fees in a few months. Tiffin began using the system in July and told TV9 it is excited about the partnership. The city is anticipating a large wave of registration renewals in December. Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.