MIDLAND -- Unlicensed dogs could be forced to pay the ultimate penalty.

Under the Dog Law Act of 1919 an unlicensed dog is declared a public nuisance and should be put down.

NBC25 talked with some dog owners who say the act was meant for a different era.

Allison Maguire is bringing dogs to pet smart in hopes of finding them a home.

She’s passionate about rescuing dogs and angry about a law that could end their lives.

“I think they're trying to come in and they're trying to regulate. They have to do something because people don't listen," said Maguire, Secretary of Forever Friends Rescue.

The Dog Law of 1919 reads that any unlicensed dog should be considered a public nuisance and a local sheriff should locate and kill them.

Dog lovers we spoke with say that’s unfair.

"They also can't go out and get these licenses for themselves, it's up to the people who own them," said Donna Neall, a local dog owner.

According to theMackinac Center of Public Policy, it’s not believed that any municipality has followed through on the part of the law that requires the dogs to be killed.

In fact, some animal control officials want it stripped from the books and Lynn Griffin agrees.

“Why are we punishing an animal for something that humans do? That's what they're doing, they're punishing an animal,” said Griffin, Vice President of Forever Friends Rescue.

But for now, it’s still law. The cost of licensing a dog is as little as $10 and it may save their lives.

"It's not something that's the dog's fault, it's the people's fault," said Maguire.

This is a law that’s believed to have been written for a purpose.

Today’s dog owners think the act was meant for a different era.

NBC25's Miranda Richardson