[Adopted 7-6-1970 as Ch. 8 of the Revised General Ordinances]
[1]
Editor's Note: The relevant statutory provisions are found
in N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 et seq.
[Amended 10-1-1990 by Ord. No. 542-90]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any dog, bitch or spayed bitch.
Any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
The officer appointed by the Borough to enforce the provisions
of this article and shall include the duties of the poundkeeper.
Any person exercising control over a dog or permitting a
dog to remain on premises under his control.
Any establishment wherein or whereon the business of boarding
or selling dogs or breeding dogs for sale is carried on, except a
pet shop.
When applied to the proprietorship of a dog, shall include
every person having a right of property in such dog and every person
who has such dog in his keeping.
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein dogs for sale are kept or displayed.
An establishment for the confinement of dogs seized either
under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
Any establishment where dogs are received, housed and distributed
without charge.
Licenses shall be required for the following dogs of licensing
age:
A.
A dog owned or kept within the Borough by a resident of the Borough
on the first day of January of any calendar year.
B.
A dog acquired by any person during the course of any calendar year
and kept within the Borough for more than 10 days after acquisition.
C.
A dog attaining licensing age during the course of the calendar year.
D.
An unlicensed dog brought into the Borough by any person and kept
within the Borough for more than 10 days.
E.
A dog licensed by another state brought into the Borough by any person
and kept within the Borough for more than 90 days.
[Added 10-1-1990 by Ord. No. 542-90]
Applications for licenses for dogs required to be licensed by
the provisions of this article shall be made before the first day
of February of each calendar year. In all other cases, the application
for a license shall be made within 10 days of the day upon which the
dog in question first becomes subject to the provisions of this article.
The information on all applications under this article and the
registration number issued to each licensed dog shall be preserved
for a period of three years by the Clerk. In addition, he shall forward
similar information to the State Department of Health each month on
forms furnished by the Department.
[Amended by Ord. No. 145; 8-3-1981 by Ord. No. 268-81; Ord. No. 286-83; 10-1-1990 by Ord. No. 542-90; 9-9-1991 by Ord. No.
556-91[1]]
Each dog license and registration tag shall expire on the last
day of January of the calendar year following the calendar year in
which it was issued.
The provisions of this article shall not apply to any dog licensed under §§ 53-14 through 53-20 of this article. Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "Seeing Eye" dogs shall be licensed in the same manner as other dogs, except that the owner or keeper shall not be required to pay any fee.
A person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel,
pet shop, shelter or pound shall apply to the Clerk for a license.
He shall not be required to secure individual licenses for dogs he
owns and keeps at such establishments, and his license shall not be
transferable to another owner or to different premises.
The application shall contain the following information:
A.
The name and permanent and local address of the applicant.
B.
The street address where the establishment is located or proposed
to be located, together with a general description of the premises.
C.
The purposes for which the establishment is to be maintained.
D.
The maximum number of dogs to be accommodated at any one time.
No license under § 53-14 shall be issued until the proposed licensee submits a written statement from the Hunterdon County Division of Public Health Services that the establishment or proposed establishment complies with local and state rules governing the location and sanitation.
All licenses issued for a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound
shall state the purpose for which the establishment is maintained,
and all such licenses shall expire on the last day of January of each
year.
The annual fees for kennel and pet shop licenses shall be as prescribed in Chapter 10, Fees, of this Code.
A.
All licenses issued for a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound shall
be subject to revocation by the Council, on recommendation of the
State Department of Health or the Hunterdon County Division of Public
Health Services, for failure to comply with the rules and regulations
of the State Department of Health or the Hunterdon County Division
of Public Health Services, after the owner has been afforded a hearing
by either the State Department of Health or the Hunterdon County Division
of Public Health Services.
B.
A person holding a license to establish, keep or operate a kennel,
pet shop, shelter or pound shall comply with all Borough ordinances
and the rules and regulations promulgated by the State Department
of Health governing the sanitary conduct and operation of kennels,
pet shops, shelters and pounds, the preservation of sanitation therein
and the prevention of the spread of rabies and other diseases of dogs
within and from such establishments.
C.
The Clerk shall forward to the State Department of Health a list
of all kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds licensed within 30
days after the licenses are issued. The list shall include the name
and address of each licensee and the kind of license issued.
No dog kept in a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound shall be
permitted off such premises, except on a leash or in a crate or other
safe control.
[Amended 10-1-1990 by Ord. No. 542-90]
A.
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions
of this article, except the registration tag fees, shall be forwarded
to the Treasurer within 30 days after collection or receipt, shall
be placed in a special account separate from any of the other accounts
of the Borough and shall be used for the following purposes only:
collecting, keeping and disposing of dogs liable to seizure under
this article; local prevention and control of rabies; providing antirabies
treatment under the direction of the Hunterdon County Division of
Public Health Services for any person known or suspected to have been
exposed to rabies; all other purposes prescribed by the statutes of
New Jersey governing the subject; and administering the provisions
of this article. Any unexpended balance remaining in the special account
shall be retained there until the end of the third fiscal year following
and may be used for any of the purposes set forth in this section.
At the end of the third fiscal year following and at the end of each
fiscal year thereafter, there shall be transferred from the special
account to the general funds of the Borough any amount then in the
account which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special
account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
The Dog Warden shall take into custody and impound or cause
to be taken into custody and impounded any of the following:
A.
A dog running at large in violation of the provisions of this article.
B.
A dog off the premises of the owner of or the person keeping or harboring
such dog which the poundmaster or his agent has reason to believe
is a stray dog.
C.
Any dog off the premises of the owner of or the person keeping or
harboring such dog without a current registration tag on its collar.
D.
A female dog in season off the premises of the owner of or the person
keeping or harboring such dog.
An officer or agent authorized or empowered to perform any duty
under this article is hereby authorized to go upon any premises to
seize for impounding a dog which he may lawfully seize and impound
when he is in immediate pursuit of such dog, except upon the premises
of the owner of the dog if the owner is present and forbids it.
A.
If an impounded or seized dog wears a registration tag, collar or
harness bearing the name and address of any person or if the owner
of or the person keeping or harboring the dog is known, the Dog Warden
shall immediately serve on the person whose address is given on the
collar or on the person owning, keeping or harboring the dog a notice,
in writing, stating that the dog has been seized and will be liable
to be disposed of or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after
service of the notice.
B.
A notice under this section may be served either by delivering it
to the person on whom it is to be served, by leaving it at the person's
usual or last known place of abode or at the address given on the
collar or by forwarding it by mail in a prepaid letter addressed to
that person at his usual or last known place of abode or to the address
given on the collar.
[Amended by Ord. No. 152]
A.
The Dog Warden is authorized and empowered to cause the destruction
of any unclaimed dog, in as humane a manner as possible, under any
of the following contingencies:
(1)
When
any dog so seized has not been claimed by the person owning, keeping
or harboring such dog within seven days after notice or within seven
days of the dog's detention when notice has not been or cannot be
given as set forth in the previous section.
(2)
If
the seized dog is unlicensed at the time of its seizure and the person
owning, keeping or harboring such dog has not produced a license and
registration tag as provided in this article.
[Added 10-1-1990 by Ord. No. 542-90]
No person shall own, keep or harbor a dog in the Borough except
in compliance with the provisions of this article and the following
regulations.
A.
A dog for which a license is required by the provisions of this article
shall wear a collar or harness with its registration tag securely
fastened thereto.
B.
No person, except an officer in the performance of his duties, shall
remove a registration tag from the collar of any dog without the consent
of the owner, nor shall any person attach a registration tag to a
dog for which it was not issued.
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this article.
A.
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any dog which habitually
barks or cries between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
B.
Running at large. No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall
permit it to run at large on the public streets, in any public park,
public building or other public place or on the private property of
another within the Borough.
C.
Leashing of dogs. No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall
permit it to be on the public streets or in any of the public places
of the Borough unless the dog is accompanied by a person over the
age of 12 years and is securely confined and controlled by an adequate
leash not more than six feet long.
D.
Property damage. No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall
permit it to do any injury or damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers,
grounds or property.
[Added 10-1-1990 by Ord. No. 542-90]
A.
Where it has been determined by a physician that a person has been
bitten by a dog, that person or his parent or guardian if he is a
minor shall immediately notify an Animal Control Officer, or other
agent established by the Borough of Milford by resolution. When the
owner or keeper of a dog is notified by an Animal Control Officer,
or other agent established by the Borough of Milford by resolution,
that the dog has bitten an individual or individuals, the owner or
keeper of the dog shall comply with the following procedures:[1]
(1)
Have the dog examined by a licensed veterinarian within 12 hours.
(2)
Have the dog kept in quarantine in the owner's home or at a kennel
for a period of 10 days.
(3)
At the end of 10 days, have the dog reexamined by a veterinarian
and a written report of the dog's state of health sent to the Hunterdon
County Division of Public Health Services.
The Council may, by proclamation, require all dogs and cats
to be quarantined during such period in each year that may seem advisable
to the Council.
The Council shall have the power to appoint a Dog Warden, whose
duty it shall be to enforce the provisions of this article. The Council
shall have the power to appoint one or more persons, to be known as
"dog catchers," who may impound unlicensed dogs running at large in
violation of the provisions of this article and who shall make a monthly
and annual report to the Council.
