Barbara Lawlor

Nederland

Do the math.

It cost an average of $125 in fees if your dog is found running at large without a rabies tag and a

Nederland registration tag.

It cost $10 to get a dog license.

The rabies tag is for the dog’s health, your protection in case of a dog bite and ease of mind for the victim of a dog bite. The tags may be obtained from the Nederland Police Department. The rabies tag comes from the veterinarian who administers the shot.

It is not an expensive or time-consuming project and it could save a pet owner a great deal of money and time.

Last week, Barb Hardt went through the process with her dog Maui in about an hour.

The first part of the day was a trip to the new veterinarian at the Nederland Veterinary Hospital The

vet, Susan Ornitz, has been filling in since Doc Joe Evans retired and is now a regular part-time

veterinarian at the hospital.

Susan is from Kentucky and Tennessee and animals have been a large part of her life. When she

was 16, she watched a veterinarian remove an eye from a dog and she knew she had found her calling.

“The animal was suffering and then he wasn’t, she says. “I loved the surgery aspect.”

Susan attended Western Kentucky University and then Colorado State University, studying to get

into Veterinary School. She then returned to the South where she worked for a small animal hospital for

four years before returning to Colorado and earning a degree in animal acupuncture and chiropractic

care.

After living in Lyons with her husband and stepson, Susan wanted to be higher up. At that time, she

hadn’t met Doc Joe.

“I ran into a man at Glacier View and he told me Nederland was looking for a veterinarian, so I

applied and got the job,” says Susan. She will be working every Tuesday and every Friday and Saturday

in Nederland and also continue to work in Lyons.

She says she used to come here on Saturdays to attend Eldora Mountain Resort ski school. She

loves the staff that makes up the Animal Hospital crew and she says the clients have been fantastic in

welcoming her to the community.

When Barb and Maui arrived at the hospital, Susan met them in the parking lot to administer the shot while the dog was in the car. Maui has an aversion to crossing the threshold of the hospital and it is easier to go to her.

Barb received the inoculation papers and proceeded to the Nederland Police Department where Carol, the NPD clerk, processed the paperwork and presented Maui with a heart-shaped tag indicating that the dog was current in her shots. She received a town tag with contact information that could be traced back to her owner.

Maui was good to go.

Carol says she wishes more people would take the time to license their dogs. Only 17 dog owners

have purchased licenses and it would be a good bet that there are many more dogs residing within town

limits.

“There are tons of dogs running around,” says Carol. “If someone is issued a dog at large ticket, it

could cost a lot of money. It is only $10 to get a license.

The Nederland Police Department also does VIN verifications for $10 and fingerprint cards for $10.