Dogs

Your dogs are members of our community and we want them to be safe and enjoy living in Essex. Our Animal Control By-Law 1966 keeps our community and companion animals safe by making sure dog owners understand their responsibilities.

Following our local by-laws will keep you a responsible owner, a good neighbour and to show proper care for your pet. Dog owners who fail to comply with by-law regulations may be ticketed and fined.

As a pet owner in Essex, some of your responsibilities include:

Adhere to the maximum of three dogs per household.
Licence your dog every year and make sure they always wear a collar with the dog tag attached.
Poop and scoop – pick up any mess made by your dog and place it in the correct waste container.
Keep your pet on a leash whenever you are in a public area, unless you are at an official off leash dog park.
Make sure your dog has food, water, and shelter.

Dog Licences & Tags

Applicable licence fees for dogs are outlined in the table below. Please note, dog tags are now issued for the lifetime of the dog, with renewal fees paid annually. If licence fees are not paid between January 1 and March 31, the licence fee will double on April 1. Renewal fees that are not paid by July 1 may be added to the residents tax account.

If Purchased:	January 1 to March 31	April 1 to December 31
Dog	$21.10	$42.20
Service Dog	No charge	No charge
Livestock Guardian Dog	No charge	No charge
Herding Dog	No charge	No charge

How do I apply for a new dog tag?

New dogs must be licensed with the Town of Essex. Milo makes it quick and easy to apply for a new dog tag and manage your existing pets from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. To get started, follow these simple steps:

Visit essex.milotag.com and create a user account.
Click on ‘Pets’.
Click the ‘+’ sign to add a new pet.
Complete the form with the requested information.

*Please note, if you have an existing account with the Town, please wait to receive your invoice and instructions to set-up your account with Milo. Only register for a new Milo account if you have never had a dog tag/account with the Town of Essex.

How do I renew my tag each year?

Renewing dog tags is easier than ever with Milo. Milo makes it quick and easy to manage your existing pets from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. To get started, follow these simple steps:

Visit essex.milotag.com and activate your account.
Follow the simple on-screen instructions to renew your dog license(s).
Pay with Mastercard, Visa, or direct withdrawal.

Can I pay in-person?

If you do not have internet access and need assistance with the licensing process, payment can be made in person by cash, cheque, or debit at:

Essex Town Hall
33 Talbot Street South, Essex
Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

Harrow and Colchester South Community Centre
243 McAffee Street, Harrow
(Please call ahead at 519-776-7336 ext 1124 to ensure availability)

Dog Tag Program Benefits

The dog tag program in the Town of Essex is upheld by five essential purposes.

It provides easily accessible vital contact information, and the information provided is typically more up-to-date.

The tags provide a physical indication on the collar to others that your dog is not a stray when animal control may need to be called in.

Additionally, the annual fees indirectly reduce taxes by offsetting animal control costs.

When a dog is lost and found by a stranger, they likely do not own a microchip scanner, and it is not always within their capabilities to drive a lost dog to a vet’s office or a shelter to access a microchip scanner.
- The dog tag program of Essex allows for anyone to call the Town and help quickly reunite a lost dog with its family. This occurs about 6 times per year

Because the dog tag program prompts owners to renew their information each year, the contact information is more current than a microchip that can be easily forgotten after original insertion.
- This can lead to confusion and delay if the dog changed owners, or the owners moved or changed their contact information.
- Owners in Essex can easily update their information each year using the Milo system online.

The tag provides a clear visual indication that the dog has a home but is simply lost.
- This differentiates it from a stray who may need more professional intensive care, such as support from animal control.
- The visual indication is especially helpful if the dog accidently breaks the skin of another dog or a human.

The small annual fees required by the dog tag program of Essex support efforts to offset animal control costs, indirectly reducing taxes to residents.

It assists in Animal control, as it provides our officers with a quick reference to who the dog belongs to and where it resides.
- Avoids pound visits and allowing the dog to be reunited sooner, while reducing administrative fees and animal control costs and, indirectly, taxes.

How do I apply for a kennel licence?

On March 6, 2023, Council enacted a new by-law to licence and regulate dog kennels within the Town of Essex. For more information on the new kennel licensing process, please visit the Kennel Licensing page.

Enjoying the outdoors with your dog

When enjoying the outdoors, please keep your dog on a leash and observe the Poop and Scoop provisions of By-Law 1966.

An off-leash dog park is available for public use in Essex Centre. Located near the old pool house near the Essex Centre Sports Complex (60 Fairview Avenue West), the dog park consists of an enclosed and grassed area with an additional fenced entrance that allows handlers to leash their dogs before exiting the park.

The dog park is self-policed but guidelines are clearly posted. To use the park, dogs must have up-to-date vaccinations and dog tags and must be under constant supervision and voice control. Puppies under four months old, dogs in heat, and sick or aggressive dogs are prohibited from using the park. Handlers are limited to three dogs each.

Dangerous dogs

Owners of dogs should be aware that Animal Care and Control By-Law 1966 provides for the muzzling of dangerous dogs.

The owner of a dog who has been served with a Notice to Muzzle by the Town's Animal Control Officer is responsible for ensuring the following:

The dog is restrained within a building or house or in an enclosed pen when on the owner's property; or
The dog is securely on a collar-type leash with a maximum length of one metre and is muzzled when it is off the owner's property.

Owners of a dangerous dog must have an insurance policy that provides personal liability insurance in an amount not less the $2,000,000.

If you witness an attack of a person or a pet by another dog, please call the Essex Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Town's Animal Control Officer to report the incident. A witness to an attack means a person who has or claims to have knowledge relevant to the attack and includes the victim of the attack.

Dog Pound

The Lakeshore Dog Pound, which is jointly funded and managed by the Towns of Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle and Tecumseh, receives stray or lost dogs picked up by the Town of Essex Animal Control Officer.

The Pound makes every effort to locate the owner of dogs received at the Pound. The animal is thoroughly checked for an identifying dog tag or tattoo and is scanned for a microchip. From the information retrieved, calls are made to owners or veterinary clinics. If there are no clues as to ownership, the Pound contacts the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society to cross-check their records for calls of reported missing pets.

The Lakeshore Dog Pound is open to the public Monday to Friday from 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contact information for the Dog Pound is provided in the contact box on this page.

Town of Essex
33 Talbot Street South
Essex, Ontario,
N8M 1A8

519-776-7336