Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry A stack of Warren County dog licenses sits at the treasurer’s office waiting for collars.

At least one Warren County resident has been lured down the wrong path when trying to license their dog.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently issued a warning regarding a “fraudulent dog license website.”

Pennsylvania dog licenses are sold by the Department of Agriculture through the county treasurers.

Most county treasurers, including Warren County Treasurer Denny Munksgard, offer online licensing. The website is padoglicense.com.

The website identified as fraudulent by the Department of Agriculture has a very similar address.

“The department has identified www.padoglicense.online as selling fake PA dog licenses and even paying search engines to appear at the top of search results pages for common terms, like ‘Pennsylvania dog license’ or ‘renew PA dog license’,” according to the release from the department. “Exercise caution. Contact your county treasurer’s office when in doubt.”

If you have a concern about a third-party website, contact the PA Attorney General Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 441-2555.

“It’s fortunate that more people haven’t utilized it thinking it’s a legitimate site for a Pennsylvania dog license,” Munksgard said. ”

Munksgard said there is a link to the correct site through the Warren County website — warrencopa.com.

Statewide, “the best way to ensure that you’re completing an official transaction is to start on licenseyourdogpa.pa.gov,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said.

There are three physical locations that legally offer dog licenses in Warren County — the treasurer’s office at Warren County Courthouse, Paws Along the River Humane Society, and Lottsville Milling. Those agents are only able to sell Warren County licenses.

Munksgard said the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law — an agency within the Department of Agriculture — requires that dogs be licensed once they reach three months of age.

Licensing automatically puts information in a database that can be used to reunite lost dogs with their owners.

The back of each tag shows the Warren County 911 Center’s non-emergency phone number.

Annual dog licenses run from January through December. The treasurer’s offices send out reminders in early December, Munksgard said.

“Our vendor will be sending out an email reminder to either purchase online or come in to one of the three agents,” he said. “If we don’t have your email, you will get a post card.”

The state covers those costs. “The county does not incur any expenses to print or mail the post cards,” Munksgard said.

“You can use your post card as your application at any of the three agents,” he said. “The post card will also list information about the website and a renewal identification number that you will need if you renew online.”

“You can use the post card or a phone call to update the treasurer’s office if a dog has passed away, moved out of the county, or changed owner,” he said.