MAN'S BEST FRIEND, BUT IS HE LEGAL?-Simi Valley resident Charles Wagar and his Labrador mix, Blackie, take a walk in Rancho Simi Community Park. The city council has declared July "Dog Licensing Month" in an effort to make sure all dogs in Simi have proper tags and up-to-date rabies shots. Men and women in uniform will be going door-to-door in Simi Valley in July as part of a local government initiative aimed at licensing all dogs in the city that require it.

Wearing the badge of Ventura County Animal Regulation (VCAR), the officers must ask residents two initial questions: Do you own a dog? If so, is it licensed?

By city ordinance, a dog must be licensed if it is older than 4 months and has lived in Simi Valley for more than 30 days.

Generally, there's a penalty assessed if dog owners don't license their dogs during those first 30 days, but that fee is being waived in July as part of the city council's first-ever "Dog Licensing Month." All dog owners who purchase tags in July will receive amnesty.

The cost of licensing a dog is $20 per year if it is spayed or neutered and $50 per year if it isn't, but there is a catch: a dog cannot be licensed if it does not have up-to-date rabies shots. The shot must be given by a licensed veterinarian and usually costs between $5 and $25, depending on where it is administered.

VCAR operates several lowcost clinics throughout the year where rabies shots can be obtained for $5. The next one will be Sept. 6 at the county fire station on High Street in Moorpark.

If dog owners can't come up with the money on the spot to pay VCAR officers for the license they'll receive what is equivalent to an automobile "fix-it" ticket, requiring that they show proof to a judge in the next 14 days that their dog or dogs have been licensed.

If they have the money but don't have up-to-date rabies shots, they can be issued a 30day interim license, which allows them 30 days to mail in proof that they have gone to get the shots.

"Once we get the proof, we'll send them the tags," said Kathy Jenks, director of the county's animal regulation services.

If not purchased during the door-to-door canvassing, licenses can be acquired at any one of these five locations around the city: American Veterinarian Hospital, Alamo Veterinarian Hospital, Angeles Animal Hospital, Big Al's Pet Food Warehouse and Teresa's County Feed and Pet. They can also be obtained during specified hours at the Simi Valley Animal Shelter at 670 W. Los Angeles Ave.

According to city council member Barbra Williamson, who's spearheaded the canine cause, the licensing push has a lot to do with offsetting the cost of animal control in Simi Valley.

Last year, the city paid the county an estimated $299,000 for animal regulation, a bill council members hope to make up for through licensing.

"We credit the city with the revenue against their cost," Jenks said. "So it helps them defray the cost of services for, say, picking up dead animals off the road."

With an estimated 30,000 of man's best friends living in Simi-and only 10,000 of them licensed according to VCAR- there is plenty of potential puppy chow to go around at $20 to $50 a pop.

"If we can come in to license the dogs, it will offset (the cost). It's a win-win for the city," said Williamson, whose dog, Todo, just had his one-year license renewed. "We get money to pay for our animal services, and we get to make sure the dogs are upto-date on all their shots."

Though not common, rabies is still a threat to dogs and cats, especially in Ventura County, where the disease is prevalent in area wildlife, said Jenks.

"It's a real threat to the people in the community-rabies is fatal, there's no cure," Jenks said. "All it takes is one close encounter with a skunk or a bat, and a pet can be infected. Then it's possible for that pet to transmit the disease to its owner."

Say, for instance, a dog is sprayed by a skunk. If that dog is unvaccinated, the city will require that the dog is quarantined for a period of six months, Jenks said, where it cannot leave the owner's property and cannot come in contact with humans or other animals.

Jenks said keeping pets and pet owners safe is the No. 1 reason why dog licensing is so important.

"Rabies-proofing our dogs is the whole purpose of licensing," she said.

Councilmember Glen Becerra called the matter a public safety issue-and a sensible move for dog lovers hoping to protect their precious pups.

"It's good for dog owners; not only does (VCAR) make sure dogs are vaccinated for rabies, but they collect information on where they live so they can be returned if they get out," said Becerra, himself the owner of an 75-pound golden doodle named Tatonka. Jenks agreed wholeheartedly. "When we find dogs with tags,

we take them straight home. The only reason they wouldn't go straight home is because the owner wasn't there when we arrived," she said. "But for the rest of the dogs, their owners don't know where they are and we don't have any idea of how to find them. So they just sit and wait in our shelter."