Bakersfield Animal Control officers are now going door-to-door looking for dogs that are not licensed. It's part of a new program aimed at cutting the number of animals that end up being euthanized.

Tuesday morning, two officers walked through a northwest Bakersfield neighborhood. They found a surprising number of dogs not licensed. They stopped at homes, and if no one was home they left information about dog-owner rules.

But at several houses they contacted residents who admitted their dogs did not have a license. Arnie Carlos got handed a notice to comply. He was ordered to get licenses for his two dogs within six weeks.

"I'm going to comply," Carlos said. "I already have my dogs spayed and neutered, so it's not going to be that great of a deal to just pay the fee and get the tags."

The idea is that if owners license their dogs, they will want to have the animals altered, because a license for a dog that is spayed or neutered is a lot cheaper.

The city dog license costs $15 a year if a dog is spayed or neutered, but if a dog is unaltered the license is $60 a year.

"If you spend the money to have an animal altered, you'll make it up in the licensing because there is such a cost difference," Bakersfield Animal Control chief Tammy Davis said. "So we're hoping that'll be some incentive."

The City Council recently approved the new pilot project. Davis said she hired one extra worker, and they've assigned a regular full-time officer to the new program.

They plan to cover random streets in 25 different areas of the city in the next six weeks.

Tuesday morning the two officers said they found about half the dog owners they contacted did not have their pets licensed. Davis said they estimate the rate of non-licensing could be as high as nearly 90-percent.

To license a dog, the owner has to get the pet a rabies shot. The city and county both offer low-cost rabies clinics. They also have information on low-cost spay and neuter clinics.

Davis said they will check on the owners who were ordered to get dog licenses.

"At the end of the six weeks, we're going to check with each location we've previously visited, and if a notice to comply was issued at that residence, we'll check back and do a follow-up to make sure they're in compliance," she said.

Linda Olivas got one of those notices on Tuesday. She said she was surprised to see the officer at her front door, but she had heard about the new project. Olivas said she will get the license for her pet, and she agrees with the new program.

Neighbor Carlos feels the same.

"There's too many stray animals, and too many animals being put down." Carlos said. "So if this helps to alleviate that, then that's for the best."

For information, call Bakersfield Animal Control at (661) 323-3436.