Not surprisingly, there are times when formerly commonplace items, that are no longer in use, vanish from peoples memories. Such is the case with Newark’s printed dog licenses. The license (pictured below) was issued to Bessie Pfeiffer of 126 Elwood Avenue for a male dog. The fee was two dollars, not an insignificant sum considering that the country was already in the throes of the Great Depression . But that is not what interested me the most. I’ve lived in Newark twenty five years, gotten numerous dog tags, but never knew that the City once required and provided an actual printed license to dog owners . I had believed , based on my own experience, that the City had never provided more than  a brass collar tag.  How surprised I was to learn that you were required to purchase a license to have a dog. The collar tag was simply the device that indicated to those who had a need to know ( e.g.the dog catcher),  that a dog was licensed. In fact, close examination of the front of the license reveals that it’s an official legal document not just a receipt for the two dollar fee. Today, while the City still requires the licensing of dogs they no longer provide or require a printed license.