SMITHVILLE FLATS – With the passage of local law number one for the year of 2011, the Town of Smithville became the latest municipality to go into the “dog business.”

The law, titled, “Licensing, Identification and Control of Dogs in the Town of Smithville,” was adopted by the town’s board at a meeting last night at the Community Center in Smithville Flats.

The 11-page, 21-section document governs all aspects of licensing and identification of dogs, as well as control and protection of the canine population within the township’s 50.8 square mile footprint.

Under the new law, the Smithville town clerk, Alison B. Owens, will assume responsibility for all aspects of the licensing and renewal of dog licenses as well as the record keeping associated with these duties. Until Jan. 1, these responsibilities fell to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. In August, the state agency announced its intention of handing this task back to local municipalities, who had performed these duties prior to 1981.