It shall be unlawful for any owner of any dog, unlicensed or
licensed, to permit such dog to run at large unaccompanied by the
owner. The word "owner," as used in this article, shall include every
person having a right of proprietorship or ownership in a dog and
every person who keeps or harbors or regularly feeds a dog, or has
it in his care, and every person who permits a dog to remain on or
about any premises occupied by him. A dog shall be deemed "at large"
if unaccompanied by the owner and not on a leash.
A.
It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat to allow excrement
from such animal to remain on any public or private street, gutter,
alley, tree, lawn, curb or sidewalk within the Township or upon the
floors or stairways of any building or property frequented by the
public or used in common by owners or tenants of such building. It
shall be further unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat to allow
excrement from such animal to remain on any private property or upon
the grounds of any public park or public area.
B.
It shall be the responsibility of the owner of any animal to immediately
pick up and remove in entirety any excrement from said animal from
any public or private property and to provide for a sanitary means
of disposal.
Regular feeding of a feral cat is discouraged unless part of
a regular TNR program.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any guide
dogs accompanying any blind person, or to animals used in any Fire
or Police Department activities of the Township, with the exception
of licensing and vaccination requirements.
The Director of the Department shall immediately issue a notice
informing the public when a case of rabies has been confirmed in Radnor
Township or any contiguous municipality and emphasizing the prohibition
against dogs from running at large and urging owners of cats to keep
them indoors. The notice informing the public shall include publishing
in a newspaper of general circulation within the Township, posting
on the Radnor Township website, and/or including on the Community
Bulletin Board of the Township's televised Government Access
Channel.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any animal to injure any human being by
biting, jumping, knocking down, or attacking said human being, and
the owner of such an animal shall be guilty of a violation under this
chapter.
B.
Any unvaccinated animal that bites or injures a person may be euthanized
immediately, and the head shall be submitted for examination.
It shall be the duty of the Animal Warden or Township Police
to seize and detain any dog, whether licensed or unlicensed, which
is found running at large either upon the streets or highways of the
Township or upon the property of other than an owner of such dog.
A.
Right of entry. The Animal Warden and/or Police Department are hereby
authorized and empowered to go upon any premises and enter any building
to seize and detain any dog which has been found running at large
unaccompanied by the owner or keeper, when the Animal Warden and/or
Police Department are in the immediate pursuit of such dog.
B.
Notice of seizure. Any dog bearing a proper license tag seized by
the police or Animal Warden shall be detained and properly kept and
fed, and immediate notice, whether personal or by certified mail,
shall be given to the person in whose name the license was procured
or his agent to claim such dog within 10 days.
C.
Payment of expenses. The owner of a dog shall pay all reasonable
expenses incurred by reason of its detention before the dog is returned.
D.
Disposition of unclaimed dogs and cats. Dogs and cats not claimed
in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall be disposed
of in a humane manner and in accordance with all applicable statutes
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
It is the intent that this chapter shall be supplemental to
any laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereinbefore or hereinafter
adopted covering animals within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and
specifically in the Township of Radnor.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or the keeper of any female
dog or cat to permit such female dog or cat to go beyond the premises
of her owner or keeper at any time she is in heat, unless such female
dog or cat is properly confined or under control.
It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog to permit said
dog to cause annoyance to the citizens, residents or other persons
lawfully in the Township of Radnor by barking, yelping, howling or
causing unseemly noise.
The provisions of this article shall be enforced by the Animal
Warden and/or Police Department. The owner of a dog or cat shall pay
all reasonable expenses incurred by reason of its detention before
the dog or cat is returned.
A.
Any person who shall violate any provisions of this chapter shall
be guilty of an offense and, upon conviction thereof, shall pay a
minimum fine of $300, up to a maximum of $1,000, to the Township of
Radnor, plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney fees incurred
by the Township as a result of the enforcement proceeding. Each day
during which any violation of this chapter continues shall constitute
a separate violation and shall be punishable as such.
B.
The Board of Commissioners or the Township Health Officer, with the
approval of the Board of Commissioners, may institute in the name
of the Township any appropriate action or proceedings to restrain,
correct or abate continuing violations of this Ordinance, or to prevent
any violations, any illegal act, conduct, or use in violation of this
Ordinance. The rights and remedies provided in this article are cumulative
and in addition to all other remedies provided by law.
