By Bill Power / Staff Reporter

Forget about who let the dogs out.

The concern in Halifax Regional Municipality is how so many hounds got in without a licence.

It seems the city is teeming with thousands of unregistered pooches.

According to the municipality's animal-control services office, there could be as many as 80,000 canines in the municipality, and fewer than 5,400 are licensed.

"That's a substantial number of unlicensed dogs," Stefanie Turner, project manager with animal control, said Tuesday.

"We're not sure if it is a financial issue or a need for more public education, but there is a real aversion to licensing dogs in the municipality."

It costs $10 annually to license a spayed or neutered and vaccinated dog and $30 for a pet that has not undergone these procedures.

A major benefit for dog owners is the protection it provides for pets if they are picked up running loose.

"This sometimes happens despite the best of intentions," Ms. Turner said.

Animal control officers are supposed to immediately contact the owner of a licensed animal they have picked up.

This can help avert the "impound fee," which is $155 for the first day and $25 for subsequent days.

Dogs are held for 72 hours before they are put up for adoption or destroyed.

Some dog owners feel they should not have to pay the fee if their dogs are kept on a leash or in the house.

But Ms. Turner said fees help cover the cost of animal control programs, such as picking up dogs running at large and handling complaints of nuisance and dangerous dogs.

Only licensed dogs were found at some popular walking spots Tuesday.

"I'm a big supporter of licensing," said Tripta Devichand, who had several dogs on an outing at Long Lake Regional Park and was doing lots of stooping and scooping.

Further along the popular hiking trail, Shauna Melanson and Ashley Duffus said they regularly license their lively Doberman pinscher, Parker.

"If he ever gets away, he has identification," Ms. Melanson said.

If licences issued by the municipality are an indicator, the top three most popular breeds are the Labrador retriever (1,063 licences), German shepherd (595) and golden retriever (382).

The registry reveals a curious deficiency of licences for some breeds, including the Basset hound (20), Saint Bernard (7) and old English sheepdog (9).

Municipal districts with the most licensed dogs include Upper Sackville (376), Lower Sackville (365) and Hammonds Plains-Timberlea (358).

Districts with the lowest number of licensed dogs include Halifax Downtown (71), Albro Lake (131) and Woodside (155).

Most area veterinarians sell dog licences. They are also available from the municipality.