The city launched an online process for dog licensing in hopes that more people will apply for the license.

Dog owners can now apply for dog licenses at the city?s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Web site. The traditional paper process typically takes a month to complete, but the online version will now take 10 days. Dog owners will still be able to apply for licenses using the standard paper application.

City officials are hoping that the online application will encourage more dog owners to apply for the license. They estimate that only 20 percent of the city?s 500,000 dogs are licensed.