An owner shall provide his or her animal(s) with nutritious food in sufficient quantity, necessary veterinary care, proper drink, air, space, and shelter or protection from the weather. A proper shelter shall be of sufficient size to allow the animal to stand, turn and stretch to its full length and height within the enclosure. An owner shall keep all confinement environments clean, free from feces, urine and debris by implementing housing and husbandry practices that are utilized to ensure both the physical and mental health of all customary household pets. An enclosure where animals are kept shall be graded and drained so as to keep the surface reasonably dry and prevent any fluids from running through the enclosure. Flies shall be controlled in all enclosures.
A. 
Between December 1 and March 15, the following shall be provided:
(1) 
Dog shelters shall have a weatherproof roof and the entryway shall be protected by an offset outer door or a flexible flap made of windproof material. The floor shall be solid and raised from the ground at least two inches. No interior surfaces shall be metal. The dog shelter opening shall be facing away from the prevailing winds.
(2) 
Bedding, such as wood shavings, straw or other absorbent material, shall be provided in sufficient quantity for insulation against cold and damp. Bedding shall be kept dry.
(3) 
If there is no artificial heat source, structures shall be small enough to allow the dog to warm the interior of the structure and maintain his or her body heat but large enough to permit ease of entry and normal postural adjustments, as previously defined.
(4) 
Fresh, potable water without ice shall be made available to the dog a minimum of twice daily. The water receptacle shall be sanitary and made unable to be tipped over.
B. 
During the summer months between June 1 and September 15, shade, either natural or man-made, shall be made available to a confined dog between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
(1) 
Fresh, potable water shall always be made available. The water receptacle shall be made sanitary and unable to be tipped over.
(2) 
Under no circumstances shall a dog house be considered shade during the summer months.
(3) 
Proper shelter, including protection from the weather and elements, shall be provided. The shelter for a dog shall have a weatherproof roof, enclosed sides, a doorway, and a solid floor raised at least two inches from the ground, and no interior surfaces shall be metal.
C. 
A dog kennel for outside dogs shall meet the minimum size requirements as listed in Table 209-601-1. These requirements are applicable to all kennels, veterinary hospitals, pet shops, animal care and control facilities and humane organizations.
Table 142-17-1
All dimensions below are in feet and are in addition to and exclude a dog house.
Number of Dogs
Small
(up to 25 pounds)
Medium
(25 to 50 pounds)
Large
(over 50 pounds)
1
3 x 7
(21 square feet)
6 x 10
(60 square feet)
8 x 10
(80 square feet)
2
4 x 8
(32 square feet)
8 x 10
(80 square feet)
10 x 10
(100 square feet)
3
5 x 9
(45 square feet)
8 x 12
(96 square feet)
10 x 14
(140 square feet)
4
8 x 10
(80 square feet)
10 x 12
(120 square feet)
12 x 16
(192 square feet)
D. 
The owner of a dog shall not tie, chain, cable or in any way tether a dog outside for more than 12 hours within a twenty-four-hour period, except at sporting events, unless there is inclement weather.
E. 
A tether to confine a dog shall be a minimum of 4 1/2 times the length of the dog (nose to tail base) and under no circumstances less than 10 feet long (unless impossible due to property size, in which case the Animal Care and Control Authority shall set forth reasonable substitute requirements).
(1) 
Exceptions to this tethering length requirement shall be permitted for dogs:
(a) 
Actively herding, shepherding or cultivating agricultural products where tethering is reasonably necessary for the safety of the dog.
(b) 
During training, exhibition, performance or sporting events, including field and obedience trials, where tethering does not occur for a period exceeding seven days.
(c) 
When camping or during other recreational activities where written tethering requirements are set by the camping or recreational area where the dog is located.
(2) 
Under these exceptions, generally accepted safe tethering practices that do not endanger the dog shall still be required. The Animal Care and Control Authority shall have authority to determine what constitutes generally accepted safe tethering practices, if necessary, under these conditions.
F. 
The tether shall have swivels at both ends to prevent kinking and knotting. The area covered shall be maintained so that the tether cannot become entangled or pose a substantial risk of injury to the dog and shall be positioned so that the dog cannot wrap the tether around posts, trees or debris, or hang by jumping a fence or guardrail, or drown by jumping into a pool.
G. 
Housing requirements.
(1) 
Enclosed buildings and sheds used for the housing of dogs shall:
(a) 
Have readily available outdoor access and be ventilated, i.e., via forced air.
(b) 
Be reasonably lighted.
(c) 
Provide protection from the weather.
(d) 
Maintain a temperature considered safe for the animal's health as determined by the breed and condition of the dog.
(e) 
Be kept clean and free of any debris that could endanger the animal.
(f) 
Be kept in good repair at all times.
(2) 
Animal Care and Control will use a guide such as the Tufts Animal Care and Condition (TACC) Scales for Assessing Body Condition, Weather and Environmental Safety, and Physical Care in Dogs, in determining the safe temperature. This guide can be referenced online or at a public library.
H. 
Violations of this § 142-17 shall result in the assessment of fines up to $500.
A person shall not cause, procure or authorize any of the following:
A. 
Subject an animal to cruelty or neglect.
B. 
Poison a domesticated animal.
C. 
Leave ground glass where an animal can ingest it.
D. 
Cruelly kill, maim, shoot, or otherwise injure an animal, except that:
(1) 
A licensed hunter may shoot wild animals during the permitted hunting season.
(2) 
The owner or tenant of land may shoot to humanely kill an animal which preys upon or destroys the owner's or tenant's livestock, provided the animal is not a protected or endangered species under County, state, or federal law. The person who kills an animal must notify the Animal Care and Control Authority or law enforcement of the incident as soon after as reasonably possible. The person who kills an animal under this Subsection D(2) shall complete and submit a report of the incident to the Animal Care and Control Authority as specified by Appendix 17, Humane Killing of an Animal by a Person Other than a Licensed Veterinarian, Animal Care and Control or Law Enforcement Report.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The appendixes are on file in the office of the Director of Finance and on the County website: www.ccgov.org.
(3) 
A person may protect himself or herself, or others, from an imminent attack by a domesticated or nondomesticated animal; however, this protection shall be done as humanely as possible under the circumstances. Immediately after the incident, the person taking the protective action must immediately notify the Animal Care and Control Authority or law enforcement. If the protective action results in the death of an animal, the person who kills an animal under this Subsection D(3) shall complete and submit a report of the incident to Animal Care and Control Authority as specified by Appendix 17, Humane Killing of an Animal by a Person Other than a Licensed Veterinarian, Animal Care and Control or Law Enforcement Report.
(4) 
A person may humanely kill a mortally wounded nondomesticated animal. The person who kills the animal must notify the Animal Care and Control Authority or law enforcement of the incident as soon after as reasonably possible. The person who kills an animal under this Subsection D(4) shall complete and submit a report of the incident to the Animal Care and Control Authority as specified by Appendix 17, Humane Killing of an Animal by a Person Other than a Licensed Veterinarian, Animal Care and Control or Law Enforcement Report.
(5) 
A person who encounters a wounded domesticated animal shall notify the Animal Care and Control Authority or law enforcement as soon after as reasonably possible.
E. 
Abandon, or appear to abandon, a domestic animal by leaving or discarding it on roadsides, in trash containers, in or on vacated or vacant premises or any other place.
F. 
Deliberately injure, abuse, or run down an animal with a vehicle.
G. 
Deliberately encourage any animal to fight, engage in cockfighting or dog fighting, train or raise animals for fighting, or organize or participate in any way in animal fights. It is also illegal to possess, with the intent to unlawfully use, any of the following: treadmills, breaksticks, pain numbing drugs, steroids, IV catheters, bait, cat mill/jenny, sprintpole/jumppole, chains, weights, and fighting rings.
H. 
Tease, torment, or deliberately incite an animal, provided that:
(1) 
Ordinary activities of people on their own property, such as mowing or playing with children and ordinary activities of passersby such as walking or jogging on the sidewalk in front of the animal owner's property are not deliberate incitements, however excited or disturbed the animal becomes from these activities; and
(2) 
Training of an animal for police work by the state or by a political jurisdiction of the state shall not be considered teasing, tormenting, or deliberately inciting the animal.
I. 
Allow any animal to remain in a vehicle or a closed building in a manner that endangers the health or safety of the animal. Under this subsection, an Animal Care and Control Officer or law enforcement officer may use reasonable force to remove the animal from the vehicle. Any such officer who uses force under this subsection shall not be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of that force. Animals may remain in horse trailers and sporting dog boxes in a manner which is generally accepted by the horse and sporting dog community.
J. 
Violations of this § 142-18 shall result in the assessment of fines as follows:
(1) 
Subsections A through F, all items: up to $500.
(2) 
Animal fighting (State of Maryland sets penalty): imprisonment not to exceed three years and/or a fine not exceeding $5,000.
(3) 
Tease, torment or deliberately incite an animal: up to $500.
(4) 
Leaving animal unattended in a vehicle under conditions that could endanger the animal: up to $500.
A. 
This section shall not include a working farm, provided that normal and customary farming practices are in use, or an animal that is accompanied by its owner or under the owner's control when engaged in supervised hunting.
B. 
The owner shall keep his/her animal from approaching a passerby in a menacing or aggressive fashion.
C. 
The owner shall keep his/her animal from destroying the private property of others.
D. 
The owner shall keep an animal from continually disturbing the quiet of any person or neighborhood, or shall keep any animal from causing frequent or long-continued noise to the disturbance of the comfort or repose of any person or neighborhood.
(1) 
Any person disturbed by a continually noisy animal shall first advise the owner or custodian who keeps such animal, by certified mail, which includes a copy of this ordinance section, of the fact that the animal, by causing frequent or continued noise, is disturbing the complainant or the neighborhood.
(2) 
No owner or custodian shall fail to abate a nuisance caused by the frequent, habitual or continuing noise of his or her animal after having been notified by a complainant by certified mail.
(3) 
Should the animal's owner fail to abate the nuisance, the complainant shall contact the Animal Care and Control Authority (reference Appendix 16, Animal Complaint Form[1]).
[1]
Editor's Note: The appendixes are on file in the office of the Director of Finance and on the County website: www.ccgov.org.
(4) 
The Animal Care and Control Authority will investigate a properly documented Animal Complaint Form (reference Appendix 16).
(5) 
If the Animal Care and Control Authority determines it does not have sufficient evidence to proceed, a complainant still has the right to swear out a complaint in the District Court. Refer to Article 24, § 11-504(l)(5), of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
E. 
The owner shall keep his/her animal from continual actions and behaviors that could reasonably lead to his/her animal being declared a public nuisance animal by the Animal Care and Control Authority. Such animal(s) may be subject to seizure by the Animal Care and Control Authority. Following the seizure of an animal, the owner may attempt to redeem the animal by filing a writ of replevin in District Court within 10 days. Failure to file a writ of replevin within a ten-day period shall result in the animal becoming the property of the Animal Care and Control Authority.
F. 
Violations of this § 142-19 shall result in the assessment of fines as follows:
(1) 
Menacing or aggressive dog toward people or animals, without contact: up to $250.
(2) 
Menacing or aggressive dog toward people or animals, with contact: up to $1,000.
(3) 
At large: up to $500.
(4) 
Destruction of private property: up to $100.
(5) 
Disturbing the quiet of a person or neighborhood per Subsection D: up to $1,000.
A. 
Dogs shall be kept under restraint or effective control at all times, unless the animal is engaged in supervised hunting or another activity where restraint might endanger the animal's life or safety.
B. 
All dogs shall be restrained by leash, chain, kennel or fence.
C. 
The owner of an animal, other than a cat, shall prevent the animal from leaving the owner's property unattended or unrestrained.
D. 
The owner of an animal(s) that is fenced shall erect fencing normally considered suitable for the species and type of animal to be contained. Fencing shall be appropriate so as to keep the intended animals restrained within its boundaries. Fencing shall be monitored, well maintained and kept in good repair. In the case of a dog, if the owner utilizes an "invisible fence" to restrain a dog it shall only be used if it consistently and effectively restrains the dog and is appropriate to be accessible for the dog in question. No vicious or dangerous dog shall be restrained behind an "invisible fence."
E. 
Any dog at large that attacks another animal or person causing injury documented by a veterinarian or human doctor or causes property damage shall result in the dog's owner being subject to penalties as set in Subsection G below.
F. 
In addition to, or in lieu of, impounding an animal found at large, the Animal Care and Control Officer or law enforcement officer may issue to the known owner of such animal a citation. The citation shall impose upon the owner a fine as indicated by the Animal Care and Control Officer or law enforcement officer. In the event that such fine is not paid within 20 days to the Cecil County Director of Finance, said citation shall be forwarded to the Cecil County District Court for disposition. Upon conviction of a violation of this chapter, or any rules and regulations adopted pursuant hereto, the owner shall be subject to penalties as set in Subsection G below. The fine assessed by the Animal Care and Control Officer, as herein provided, shall be increased or decreased by the court upon conviction as aforesaid.
G. 
Violations of this § 142-20 shall result in the assessment of fines as follows:
(1) 
Lack of restraint: up to $500.
(2) 
At large: up to $500.
A. 
The owner of a female dog in heat shall keep the dog secure inside a well-ventilated building on the owner's property, except that:
(1) 
When the dog is on a leash and is accompanied by the owner, the dog may be allowed outside for the purpose of natural relief, but shall not be taken off the owner's property.
(2) 
When necessary for medical treatment, boarding, or breeding, and while under the direct and effective control of the owner, the dog may be conveyed to and left at a suitable place to be treated, boarded, bred or shown in an organized dog show or event. For purposes of this section, "suitable place" shall mean a licensed kennel, an establishment operated by a licensed veterinarian, or a location at which the person assuming care and custody of the dog prevents the dog from coming in contact with other dogs, except for planned breeding.
B. 
Violations of this § 142-21 shall result in the assessment of a fine of $200.
A. 
The owner of every animal shall be responsible for the removal of all excreta deposited by the animal(s) on public property, including walks, recreation areas, or on private property other than that of the owner. The owner of every animal shall not allow excreta deposited by animals to accumulate on his or her property so as to cause a health hazard or become a nuisance. This subsection shall not include a working farm, provided that normal and customary farming practices are in use.
B. 
When any domestic animal dies, its owner shall be responsible for the animal to be removed, pursuant to the direction of the Animal Care and Control Authority, to a crematorium or animal rendering company or to be composted or buried within 72 hours of the death of the animal.
C. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, whether the owner or lessee of a property, to allow a dead domestic animal to decay on his or her property without the permission of the Animal Care and Control Authority and the Health Department.
D. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to allow a domestic animal to foul the air of neighboring property owners so as to keep them from the enjoyment of their property through animal waste or an animal's death. This subsection shall not include a working farm, provided that normal and customary farming practices are in use.
E. 
Violations of this § 142-22 shall result in the assessment of fines up to $100.