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What you buy at grocery stores could help King County track pet licenses

By Alison Grande
By Alison Grande

What you buy at the grocery store could impact what you get in the mail.

Regional Animal Control Services of King County is targeting residents who buy dog and cat food and sending them pet licensing reminders.

RACSKC is working with Lacy and Par, a Seattle mailing and printing company. Lacy and Par obtained a list from a direct marketer of people who likely have pets based on buying habits.

RACSKC says the list used by Lacy and Par is made up of data collected from grocery stores and pet stores, specifically people who are buying dog and cat food.

Lacy and Par wouldn’t reveal which direct marketing vendor it uses so there was no way for KIRO 7 to confirm which stores are selling their customer information.

According to Lacy and Par they get the list from a direct marketing vendor, give it to RACSKC to cross-reference with who already has a pet license. Then Lacy and Par sends letters to the rest of the King County residents reminding them to get a license or face a $250 fine. There is a pet license application enclosed.

RACSKC sent letters to 75,000 residents last year, for a cost of $35,000. RACSKC says the letter brought in $118,000 in pet license revenue.

The practice is paying off for King County, but is raising some privacy concerns.

“Fred Meyer and QFC did not provide this information. We value our customer's trust and that is why we aim to be clear and transparent about how we protect customer privacy,” said Zach Stratton with Fred Meyer and QFC Community Affairs.

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