Got a licence for that dog? Be prepared to fork over $250 if you don’t, says a city official.
Thousands of St. Albert residents received mail and email reminders in recent weeks to renew their dog licences for the year.
There were 8,330 licensed dogs in St. Albert as of Jan. 7, 2024, said city peace officer program supervisor Garnet Melnyk. All dogs six months or older in this city must be licensed; any owner caught with an unlicensed dog can be fined $250.
Melnyk said the city regulates pet dogs so that they don’t roam loose, form packs, and attack humans. The licensing system gives bylaw officers a way to reunite wayward dogs with their owners; the licence fees pay for this service and the city’s dog-friendly parks.
City residents who lose track of their dog or see one on the loose can report it to bylaw officers, who will try to catch it, Melnyk said. This usually means coaxing the dog into arm’s reach with the promise of treats, but can involve a cage trap. Captured dogs are then checked for identifying marks or microchips and, where possible, returned to their owners (possibly along with a fine if the dogs were unlicensed or at large). If the owner cannot be found, the dogs are given to the Edmonton Humane Society for eventual adoption.
Dog licences cost $73 ($40 if the dog is spayed or neutered) and can be purchased through the City of St. Albert website, online banking, or in person at the St. Albert Place main floor front counter and the St. Albert RCMP station (96 Bellerose Dr.). Owners can also apply for a free licence for service or foster care dogs.
Cat owners do not need to license their pets in St. Albert. Melnyk said city council has considered such licences several times in the last decade or so but has never enacted them. (The City of Edmonton requires cat licences.)
Domestic hens and bees also have to be licensed each year in St. Albert, city spokesperson Nicole Lynch said in an email. The city had 10 bee and 23 hen licences active as of January 2025.
Popular names
While the city tracks animal names as part of its licensing system, Melnyk said the licence database wasn’t set up to calculate the most popular dog names in town.
A November 2024 report from the international pet-sitting service Rover found based on its records, the most popular female dog names in Canada were (in descending order) Luna, Bella, and Daisy. The most popular names for male dogs were Charlie, Milo, and Max. Unique names included Madame Pierogi Von Jellybelly, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, and Sweeney.
Kallee Mirus of St. Albert’s K9 Awareness dog daycare said one of the most popular dog names among her clients was Jasper, as they hadve at least 10 dogs of that name on file. Less common names are Pongo, Shogun, and Feta Cheese. She suggested owners stick to short, less-common dog names to make it easier for their pets to know when they are called.
While the city has not received any reports of beekeepers naming individual bees, Lynch said St. Albert hen keepers have given their birds names such as Marshmallow, Sprinkles, Beeker, and Bean.
Questions on dog licensing should go to 780-418-6644 or [email protected].
