The town has one full-time animal control officer who serves the Town of Bethlehem with compassion, kindness, and a dedication to protecting our residents, their pets, and wildlife in general. The number of calls for animal control services continue to increase, fueled mainly by the public's awareness and concern for the possibility of exposure to rabid animals and most recently, the West Nile virus. Please note, i
f you encounter injured or orphaned wildlife, never try to care for a wild animal yourself, always contact a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator.
Licensing & Identification of Dogs
All dogs over four months in age and any dog that is off the owner's premises regardless of age in New York State must be licensed (N.Y.S. Department of Agriculture and Markets Law). This is to be accomplished within thirty days of obtaining the dog. To obtain a license, bring a current rabies vaccination and (if applicable) a neutering / spaying certificate to the
town or city clerk in the municipality where the dog resides, while also filling out a
dog license application and paying a small fee. A license obtained in the Town of Bethlehem must be renewed once each year, due the same month that it was originally obtained. Licenses (with few exceptions) must be on the dog at all times. Not only is this the law, but it is the best way we can find the owner of a lost dog.
Lost Animals
To report a lost animal, call the Bethlehem Police at 518-439-9973. Please note that dogs seized and impounded are taken to
Mohawk Hudson Humane Society located at 3 Oakland Avenue, Menands, NY 12204, 518-434-8128. When searching for a lost animal and after contacting the Bethlehem Police at 518-439-9973, please also think about how close you live to one (or more) of the town's borders. If you think it is possible your animal wandered into another jurisdiction, contact them as well: Albany, 518-434-5091; Coeymans, 518-756-2059; Guilderland, 518-861-6855; or New Scotland, 518-475-0385.
Adopting or Surrendering an Animal
A good source of information regarding pet adoption is
PetFinder, where you can learn before you adopt, search for adoptable pets, and find adoption/rescue groups. You can support organizations such as these by using charitable search sites when searching the web. One such search site is
GoodSearch, which has a number of these local adoption/rescue groups already in their choices of recipients of your search proceeds. You can also view this
list of almost 100 area shelters and rescue groups.