[Adopted 12-18-1974 by Ord. No. 14-74 (Ch. 58 of the 1977
Township Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any live, vertebrate creature, domestic or wild.
Any person, including dog warden, which is designated by
the governing body as a law enforcement officer and who qualifies
to perform such duties under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
[Amended 5-4-1977 by Ord. No. 8-77]
Any premises designated by the governing body for the purpose
of impounding and caring for animals held under authority of this
article.
Any member of the species generally referred to as canis
familiaris.
Any dog which has attained the age of six months.
Any person, partnership or corporation owning, keeping or
harboring one or more animals. An animal shall be deemed to be harbored
if it is fed or sheltered for three consecutive days or more.
An individual, partnership, company or corporation.
The condition of any animal being secured by a leash or lead,
or under the control of a responsible person and obedient to that
person's commands within the real property limits of its owner.
Any dog while engaged in hunting or training for hunting shall be
in the immediate control, custody and management of its owner or custodian.
[Amended 11-28-1989 by Ord. No. 16-89]
A.
License and registration tags required for dogs. Any resident who
shall own, keep or harbor a dog of licensing age shall, in the month
of January of each year, apply for and procure from the Clerk of the
municipality, or other official designated by the governing body thereof
to license dogs in the municipality, a license and official registration
tag for each such dog so owned, kept or harbored, and shall place
upon each such dog a collar or harness with the registration tag fastened
thereon.
B.
C.
Fine. Failure of the owner to obtain a license within the time prescribed
by this article shall subject the owner to a fine of $10.
D.
Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "Seeing
Eye dogs," dogs used to assist handicapped persons commonly known
as "service dogs" or dogs used to assist deaf persons and commonly
known as "hearing ear dogs" shall be licensed and registered as other
dogs as herein provided for, except that the owner or keeper of such
dog shall not be required to pay any fee therefor.[2]
All dogs shall be kept under restraint.
Unrestrained dogs may be taken by the police or the Animal Control
Officer, impounded in the animal shelter, and there confined in the
manner prescribed in N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16. Impounded dogs shall be
kept for not less than seven days unless reclaimed by their owners.
If by a license or by other means the owner can be identified, the
Animal Control Officer shall, immediately upon impoundment, notify
the owner by telephone or mail of the impoundment of the dog. Dogs
not claimed by their owners within seven days or placed in suitable
new homes may be disposed of, by methods prescribed as humane by the
American Veterinary Medical Association and the New Jersey Veterinary
Medical Association, by the Animal Control Officer or by a representative
delegated by him to exercise that authority.
A.
B.
At the time an owner reclaims an impounded animal, a valid license
shall be presented or a certificate issued from the Clerk of the municipality
or other official designated by the governing body. In the event no
license has been or can be obtained by reason of failure to have a
valid rabies vaccination, a certificate can be obtained from the Clerk
of the municipality or other official appointed by the governing body,
upon condition that the owner shall be required to obtain a license
within 10 days from the date the dog is released from impoundment.
In addition to or in lieu of impounding a dog found at large,
the Animal Control Officer or law enforcement officer may issue to
the known owner of such dog a summons for article violation.
Every female dog in heat shall be confined in a building or
secure enclosure in such manner that such female dog cannot come into
contact with another dog except for planned breeding.
No owner shall fail to exercise proper control of his dog to
prevent it from becoming a public nuisance. Excessive, continuous
or untimely barking, molesting passersby, chasing vehicles, habitually
attacking other domestic animals, trespassing upon school grounds
or trespassing upon private or public property shall be deemed a nuisance.
Any animal which bites a person shall be quarantined on the
premises of its owner under the supervision of the authority designated
by the municipality for the period of time ordered by said authority.
The animal shall be securely confined and kept from contact with any
other animal during quarantine. The designated authority may require,
at its discretion, special confinement and order the animal surrendered
to the animal shelter or veterinary hospital at the owner's expense.
No police officer or other person shall kill or cause to be
killed any animal suspected of being rabid, except after the animal
has been placed in quarantine and the diagnosis of rabies is made
by a licensed veterinarian. If a veterinarian diagnoses rabies in
an animal in quarantine, then the animal shall be humanely killed
and the head of such animal sent to a laboratory for pathological
examination and confirmation of the diagnosis.
There are hereby established the following minimum standards
for the maintenance of the type and kind of animal listed below in
this municipality:
A.
Not more than one horse per acre of land shall be housed or maintained.
No person, firm or organization shall maintain any animal or
animals in a larger or greater quantity or in a smaller area than
listed in the minimum standards hereof.
All the provisions of § 72-11 of this article shall apply only to commercial establishments. The following categories are exempted from the provisions of said article:
Any resident who shall own, keep or harbor a horse shall, in
the month of May of each year, apply for and procure from the Clerk
of the municipality, or other official designated by the governing
body thereof to license horses in the municipality, an official registration
card for each such horse so owned, kept or harbored. At the time of
procuring said registration card, said person must as a prerequisite
thereof present either a certificate executed by a licensed veterinarian
of the State of New Jersey certifying that each horse has been vaccinated
or a certificate of sale of such vaccines and an affidavit of administering
the vaccines by the owner of each horse for eastern equine encephalitis
and western encephalitis. A fee shall be charged for the registration
of each horse in such amount as is fixed from time to time by the
Township Committee of the Township of Eagleswood. The amount shall
only be for the purpose of covering the cost to the municipality and
the registration of each horse.
No person shall harbor and maintain any horse within 50 feet
of a residence of an adjoining property owner or resident. This provision
shall only be applicable to those persons who establish a place to
stable, harbor or maintain any horses after the effective date of
this article.
[Amended 3-24-1981 by Ord. No. 4-81]
A.
No owner shall fail to provide any animal in his control with sufficient
good and wholesome food and water, proper shelter and protection from
the weather, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering, and
with humane care and treatment. No person shall beat, cruelly ill-treat,
torment, overload, overwork or otherwise abuse any animal, or cause
or permit any animals to combat between themselves, nor shall any
owner abandon such animal.
B.
Any person keeping or maintaining a horse on his or her property,
regardless of whether said individual owns said horse or is simply
custodian for the same, shall provide adequate shelter to protect
said animal from the sun, rain and snow. Adequate shelter is deemed
to mean a structure having three walls to form an enclosure and a
roof erected thereon, said roof being waterproof and impervious to
sunlight. The term "horse" as used herein refers to animals of the
genus Equus, and includes but is not limited to colts, mares, fillies,
mules and asses.
No person shall give away any animal as a prize for or as an
inducement to enter any contest, game or other competition, or as
an inducement to enter a place of amusement; or offer such animal
as an incentive to enter into any business agreement whereby the offer
was for the purpose of attracting trade.
[Amended 5-4-1977 by Ord. No. 8-77]
The Animal Control Officer shall have police powers in the enforcement
of this article and shall also be empowered to pick up stray cats
within the boundary of the Township upon complaint made by the Township,
and which shall be retained by the officer for a period of seven days,
during which period the cats may be reclaimed by the owner thereof
upon payment of a fee the equivalent of that charged for impounded
dogs. After the seventh day, the cats shall be humanely destroyed
or placed for adoption but not be used for scientific purposes nor
vivisection.
Except as required by N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 et seq., any person
found guilty of violating any provision of this article shall be punished
by a fine of not less than $3 nor more than $200. If any violation
continues, each day's violation shall be deemed a separate violation.
