(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in April 2016. Since then, Concord has rolled out online dog registration, but low numbered tags are still reserved for those who file in person.)
Kay Easton’s Chihuahua Poncho is the No. 1 dog in Concord.
To make sure of that, Easton arrived at city hall at 2 a.m. Friday, April 1, 2016. She camped out in front of the clerk’s office, because it was the first day of Concord’s annual window to renew dog licenses. For seven years running, Easton has secured the first one.
A resident of Concord since 1962, her voice was tired – but triumphant.
“I wanted the No. 1 and 2 tags,” Easton said.
New Hampshire law requires all residents to register their dogs annually at the town or city clerk’s office. Deputy City Clerk Michelle Mulholland said the goal is to keep track of rabies information; local vets periodically send updated data for all Concord canines to the clerk’s office. Last year, Concord residents registered 5,421 dogs.
A dog license is effective from May 1 to April 30. So starting on April 1, owners can come into the clerk’s office to pay a fee – typically $2 to $10 per dog – and renew the license. One wall inside is plastered with photos of the beneficiaries – including Zeus, Taco Bell and several Roxys.
The doors at city hall are unlocked at 6 a.m., and the clerk’s office opens at 8 a.m. With 20 minutes to go, Easton sat patiently on a bench in the lobby with Roger Potter and Eric Ames. They laughed at the thought of fighting for deals on Black Friday or standing in line for midnight movie premieres. But April 1 is an annual reunion for the trio, they joked, even if they don’t always remember each other’s names.
“I was late,” Potter said, shaking his head. “I didn’t get here until 6 a.m.”
Potter said his grandfather worked in the town office in Troy years ago, and always prided himself on nabbing license Nos. 1 and 2 for his pets. The grandson has kept up that tradition for at least three years for his own dogs, he guessed.
“It doesn’t cost anything extra,” he said with a shrug.
When Mulholland poked her head into the lobby at 8 a.m. sharp, she already had their forms ready. Easton snagged Nos. 1 through 4 – the first two for her Chihuahuas Poncho and Dixie, the second two for her daughters’ two dogs.
Potter’s Dexter got No. 5 – but No. 7 always goes to his pitbull Jethro, in homage to James Bond. Ames, a 20-year Concord resident who had arrived at 6:15 a.m., grabbed No. 6 for his Rottweiler, Nikka. He is less particular about what number he gets, he said; he just likes to get one of the low ones.
Beginning in 2016, the city will offer online dog registration. But, even in future years, City Clerk Janice Bonenfant said online registration won’t assign the lowest numbers. Those spots – perhaps more coveted than the top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show – will still be handed out in person.
Licenses in hand and fees paid, the early birds headed home shortly after 8 a.m. By 8:30 a.m., the clerk’s office had already issued 17 licenses; they expected 100 to 200 that day. When a resident requests a particular number – his or her birthday or address, for example – the clerks usually throw them a bone. Mulholland had a bag of dog treats on the counter, just in case anyone brought a pooch inside city hall.
While some owners are disappointed when they are too late for their preferred numbers, the clerks said no one throws elbows in the race to the door.
“Dog people are friendly,” Mulholland said.