WESTMINSTER — While Vincent’s Country Store owner Brian Vincent claims that issuing a warrant for his arrest for not renewing his dog license was “extreme,” local officials maintain that all proper procedures were followed when handling the issue this week.

“I just don’t think the punishment fits the crime. Now I have a record and might need to get a lawyer,” Vincent said on Wednesday. “We’re very active in the community here at the store. We do a lot of fundraisers, we help out with the food pantry, and just to have this happen, I feel really let down.”

A warrant was issued for Vincent’s arrest this week after he failed to renew the license for his 9-year-old boxer, Troop, last year. Westminster Police notified him of the warrant Tuesday morning and urged him to report to Gardner District Court, where he was told he had to pay the $25 fee and a $50 late fee.

Vincent said he found two letters in the mailbox at his Pierce Road home on Monday, one notifying him that his dog license had to be renewed, the other telling him that he was due in court on Dec. 22 to pay the fees he owed.

Though they had been delivered earlier, Vincent said he rarely checks his mailbox as he mostly relies on his P.O. box for collecting mail.

“If I got my mail everyday, I would have seen them… It’s probably my fault, but I don’t think people should be getting arrested for these dog license situations,” he said.

According to Westminster Police Chief Sam Albert, Vincent was one of just two residents to receive arrest warrants for not registering their pets last year. He also pointed out that Westminster has roughly 2,000 pet owners.

“The bottom line is, it’s really a small fee and the reason it exists is because many years ago rabies was an issue and people in the state and the community wanted to make sure animals are registered,” he said.

Albert said the town’s process for ensuring animals are licensed begins every January with all local pet owners being mailed notices to renew their licenses. If they fail to respond, they are sent a reminder in April, and then are issued a ticket by Animal Control in July or August if they still fail to comply. If they still don’t respond, the resident is then asked to report to the town clerk’s office for a hearing, which Albert said Vincent did not show up for.

“It’s really four chances you get to pay for this,” he said. “It’s not common, but at the same time, we’re not going to actually arrest anyone for this. It’s almost like not remembering to return a library book.”

Vincent clarified that he does not blame local police for the issue, explaining that they were “just doing their job.”

“It’s mainly the overbearing power of an animal control officer has to turn a $25 pet license into an arrest warrant possibly loss of firearms and LTC,” he said.

Vincent was arraigned in District Court on Tuesday and has a pretrial hearing scheduled for Feb. 14.

Follow Peter Jasinski on Twitter @PeterJasinski53.