I am writing to draw attention to a deeply frustrating and frankly unacceptable situation regarding the renewal of dog licences at Lakatamia municipality.

In August 2024 I renewed my dog’s licence, as required by law. I paid the fee, received a receipt, and was told the licence itself would be sent to me. It never arrived.

When I attempted to renew again this month, August 2025, I was informed that my dog had in fact never been registered for 2024, not just mine, but many others too, because “nobody had got around to doing it”. This meant that although I paid the fee, my dog remained without a licence for twelve months, leaving me unknowingly in breach of the law.

To make matters worse, because my dog is not showing as registered in 2024, the system now prevents me from renewing for 2025. In other words, through no fault of my own, I cannot comply with the law all because of municipal incompetence.

This raises serious questions: Why is the municipality taking payments for dog licences without actually registering the dogs? Where is that money going? Why are responsible residents being put in the position of technically breaking the law due to failures of the authority meant to enforce it?

This is more than a minor administrative hiccup. It undermines trust in local governance, penalises law-abiding residents, and shows a complete disregard for the responsibilities the municipality has taken on.


Karl Sessions, Lakatamia