1929 ADAMS COUNTY, PA. ANTIQUE ORIGINAL DOG TAX LICENSE TAG FOR 1929 - Serial # 2252. Insured USPS mail delivery in the US. 

Antique Dog License Tags are a Collectable

The earliest known documentation  of dog license tags was in 1446 in Utrecht, Holland, and the fee for the license was paid for in salt. I wonder how many pounds would be needed today?  At that time, the dog license tags were probably distributed by the local municipalities as is the case today.  These early dog license tags were intended to be disposable.  Those that were discarded years ago are frequently unearthed through the use of a metal detector.  Regardless of its condition, a buried, corroded or damaged dog license tag has value to a collector, especially if it is a rare specimen. Discovering a century-old tag is an extraordinary experience, especially if it is still attached to an old leather or metal collar. Keeping these dog license tags as they were found honors them as a sentimental keepsake and also preserves the historical evidence that allows more accurate dating.

Mascot of the Railway Mail Service and His Collection of Dog Tags

dog license tags

Photo from the Smithsonian

Owney, the Postal Dog was a scruffy mutt who became a regular fixture at the Albany, New York Post Office in 1888. His owner was likely a postal clerk who let the dog accompany him to work. Postal workers were fond of the dog, and even when his master moved on to other employment, Owney remained a permanent fixture at the Post Office. His attraction to the scent of mailbags led him onto mail wagons and then onto mail trains. Owney began to ride along with the bags on Railway Post Office (RPO) train cars across New York State and eventually the country!

Railway mail clerks considered the dog a sort of lucky charm, because no train Owney rode was ever in a wreck. The RPO clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot, marking his travels by placing medals and dog tags on his collar. Each time Owney returned home to Albany, the clerks there saved the dog tags.  Postmaster General John Wanamaker was one of Owney’s fans. When he learned that the dog’s collar was weighed down by an ever-growing number of dog tags, he gave Owney a harness on which to display his collection.

Do I have to register my dog in PA?

All dogs three months of age and older living in Pennsylvania must be licensed by January 1 of each year. Violators will be cited up to $500 per violation, plus court costs. There are two types of licenses: an annual license and a lifetime license.

Adams County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,852.[2] Its county seat is Gettysburg.[3] The county was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County, and was named for the second President of the United States, John Adams. On July 1–3, 1863, a crucial battle of the American Civil War was fought near Gettysburg; Adams County as a result is a center of Civil War tourism.

Adams County comprises the Gettysburg metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area.

Geography

Eternal Light Peace Memorial at Gettysburg Battlefield

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 522 square miles (1,350 km2), of which 519 square miles (1,340 km2) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) (0.6%) is water.[4] The Borough of Gettysburg is located at the center of Adams County. This county seat community is surrounded on three sides by the Gettysburg National Military Park (GNMP). The Eisenhower National Historic Site adjoins GNMP on its southwestern edge. Most of Adams County's rural landscapes and its mid-19th century roadway pattern remain intact today. Thirteen historic roadways converge at or near Gettysburg Borough. Two circular rings of towns surround Gettysburg; the first is typically found at a distance of approximately 7 miles (11 km) from Gettysburg. The second ring is found at a distance of 12 to 15 miles (24 km) from the county seat. This "spokes and wheel" pattern is one of the few examples of Central Place Theory in the Eastern United States.

The county is in the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay and is drained by the Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers.