You know what’s cheap and easy?
(Are you done? Can I move on? Thanks.)
Getting a dog license.
To get a dog license you don’t have to prove yourself a responsible pet owner. All you need is proof of the rabies vaccination. Not distemper or bordetella. You don’t have to prove that you’re not making them subsist on Twinkies. The town officials don’t inspect the dog, they don’t ask it about its home life; your dog doesn’t have to perform tricks or do higher order mathematics. A copy of the vaccination record and, in my town, eight dollars and twenty cents is all you need.
Our puppies got the rabies shot as soon as they were old enough, but the vaccination record. That damn piece of paper sat in The Pile so long. . . let’s just say it’s a good thing it’s a three-year vaccine.
The task of getting the dogs licensed became something I remembered only when I was taking them for a walk, and, once I thought of it, I was filled with a certainty that they were going to be ticketed and flatbedded away at any moment.
In my defense (I’m starting to notice just how often I say that, and it seems to only be in relation to parenting or otherwise managing the household), I did go to the office that handles these things back in December, with the eight dollars (and twenty cents, per dog) and the damn piece of paper. The lady told me I should probably wait until January because I’d just have to do it all over again. Check that out: an actual town official, actively encouraging my procrastination. It may have been because I interrupted her lunch break.
For the record? This is the same office I had to go to for my marriage license.
I knew if they got busted, my coercion defense wouldn’t make any difference to the arresting officer. I’d end up have to get them a lawyer. It would be a legal nightmare.
Luckily I have experience in such matters.
CC finally took care of it last week. What a relief. Street Legal Puggles.
What have you had on your to-do list the longest?
JM Randolph, accidentalstepmom 