[Adopted 4-25-2011 by Ord. No. 11-07 (Ch. 97, Art. IV, of the 1985 Code)]
All dogs and all other animals owned, boarded, kept or found
within the Township of Washington in the County of Bergen and State
of New Jersey, and all dogs and other animals transported or led through
or exercised upon any highway or thoroughfare of said Township, and
all persons, whether the owner or temporarily in charge of such animals,
shall be subject to the provisions of this article.
For the purpose of correct interpretation in the enforcement
of this article and the rules and regulations of the Health Department
of the Township of Washington, the terms used herein are hereby defined
to mean and to include:
Applies to and includes cats, foxes, squirrels, goats and
other quadrupeds.
The Department of Health of the Township of Washington and
the Health Officer thereof, when in the performance of his official
duty.
Includes any means whereby a dog or other animal is kept
upon the premises of its owner or caretaker, and thereby is prevented
from straying upon a road or any place or other property, public or
private.
Any breed of such animal, any age and any sex, regardless
of its having been de-sexed.
One who is unable to maintain himself or the members of his
family lawfully dependent upon him for support; or one who is ordinarily
able to maintain himself and/or his family, but because of his illness
or the illness of some member of his family or for any other reason
is or becomes unable to do so.
Any place, enclosure, building or collection of buildings
or doghouses in which more than one dog is kept, boarded, reared or
housed, for commercial purposes, and shall apply also to the dogs
kept therein.
A strong leather strap, strong material strap or metal chain,
which shall not exceed six feet in length, such leash to be used when
exercising, leading or transporting a dog.
A mechanical device of the humane "basket" type, which shall
prevent a dog from biting. No muzzles shall be used except those approved
by the Department of Health.
A period of isolation by secure confinement of not less than
10 days after such dog or other animal has attacked and bitten a person,
dog or other animal.
A period of confinement, which for dogs and cats shall not
be less than 10 days nor more than six months and for other animals
shall not be less than 14 days nor more than six months, which period
shall begin with the day such animal has been bitten.
Isolating a dog or other animal within an enclosure cage
or building in such a manner that such animal cannot come, directly
or indirectly, in contact with nor bite a person, dog or other animal,
nor can it be bitten by any other animal.
Any dog or other animal that is not confined but is found
roaming upon any property other than that of its owner, or which has
broken away from the control of a leash.
A.
Adults. It shall be the duty of every adult person who has been bitten
by a dog or other animal, the owner of which is known, to report to
the Department of Health or the Police Department within 12 hours
the name, age, sex, color or precise address of the person so bitten
and also the name and address of the owner of the dog or other animal
which has bitten such person, in addition to such other information
as may be required by the Department of Health and/or Police Department.
B.
Minors. If any minor has been so attacked and bitten, then the parent
or person in charge of such minor shall report as required in the
preceding subsection.
C.
Physicians. Every physician shall, within 12 hours after his first
professional attendance upon any person bitten, report to the Department
of Health or the Police Department the name, age, sex, color and precise
address of the person or minor who has been so bitten, with full particulars
of the case, and, if known, the name and address of the owner of the
dog or other animal.
D.
Should any person have been bitten or attacked by a stray dog or other animal, then the person enumerated in Subsections A, B and C of this section shall include in their report, if possible, a description of the stray animal and the place where the attack occurred and such other particulars of the attack as from whence the animal came and the direction in which it went.
A.
The owner of every dog or other animal that has been bitten by any
dog or other animal, the owner of which is known, shall at once report
to the Department of Health or the Police Department the name and
address of the owner of both dogs or other animals.
B.
The owner of every dog or other animal that has been bitten by a
stray dog or other animal shall, in addition to the report as required
in the preceding subsection, give a description of the stray dog or
other animal and the location or direction from which it came and
to which it went.
A.
Any person owning or having possession or control of a dog or other
animal that has bitten a person, dog or other animal must, after 10
days or as soon thereafter (or immediately at the request of the Police
Department or Department of Health), provide for the examination and
observation of such animal by a licensed veterinarian of the State
of New Jersey. Said veterinarian shall immediately report his finding
to the Department of Health or Police Department, by telephone, and
shall confirm such report, in writing, within 24 hours.
B.
Unless an animal is rabid or suspected to be rabid, the veterinarian
shall release the animal to the person from whom it was received.
Upon taking possession of the animal, the owner or person having possession
must confine the animal for the quarantine period.
C.
Upon receipt of a notice as stated in §§ 137-33 and 137-34 above, the Department of Health or the Police Department shall at once serve upon the owner of the dog or other animal injured a notice, in writing, to quarantine such dog or other animal. The Department of Health or the Police Department shall also serve upon the owner of the dog or other animal that has bitten a person, dog or other animal a notice, in writing, to securely confine such dog or other animal for the observation period or quarantine period.
D.
Upon receipt of a notice of injury from the bite of a stray dog or
other animal, the Department of Health or Police Department shall
serve a notice, in writing, upon the owner of the dog or other animal
bitten by a stray dog, if known, to confine such animal for a quarantine
period as determined by the Department of Health or Police Department;
provided, however, that in the event a six-month secure confinement
quarantine is determined appropriate but such six months' quarantine
cannot be properly maintained, the Department of Health or Police
Department may order such animal destroyed or removed to a place designated
by the Department of Health or Police Department for the required
period, at the expense of the owner thereof.
A.
When an animal shows signs of rabies, either of the furious or paralytic
(dumb) type, the Department of Health or Police Department shall,
at once, order such animal removed, and upon the death of such animal,
shall have its head removed for examination at the State Health Public
Laboratory.
B.
The result of the laboratory examination shall, at once, be forwarded
to the owner of the rabid animal, to the owner of the animal attacked
and bitten by such rabid animal, to the person or to the parent, in
case of a minor bitten by such rabid animal, and to the physician
or veterinarian in attendance.
C.
The Department of Health may, at once, furnish Pasteur treatment
to any indigent person within the Township who has been bitten by
an animal known or suspected to be affected by rabies; provided, however,
that where dangerous wounds have been inflicted, Pasteur treatment
may be ordered before the final result of the laboratory examination
is known.
D.
When a dog or other animal has died of rabies, then all equipment,
such as bedding, coop, kennel, pen or run of said animal shall be
destroyed or disinfected at the order of and under supervision of
the Health Officer in the Department of Health.
[Amended 9-17-2018 by Ord. No. 18-13]
Vicious dogs and potentially dangerous dogs shall be governed
by N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq., as same may be amended and supplemented.
A.
The Health Officer in the Department of Health and the Police Department
each shall have the right of full and unobstructed access, ingress,
egress and regress to and from all public or private property or premises,
to the end that they may freely examine and observe any animal coming
within the terms of any law of this state or of this article as often,
during reasonable hours and during the period of quarantine and observation,
as may be necessary for the purpose of determining the condition of
such animal.
B.
No person shall directly or indirectly obstruct or interfere with
said Health Officer in the enforcement of this article or refuse to
furnish him with any and all information required. All orders and
directions in such connection which may be given by said Health Officer
shall be considered as having been given by the Department of Health
itself.
No dog shall be permitted to run at large off the premises of
the owner or persons in charge of the dog. No dog shall be walked
on the public streets or public places in the Township except other
than when the dog is securely tethered by a leash not to exceed six
feet in length and is under supervision or control of a person able
to control said dog at all times.
[Added 6-5-2019 by Ord.
No. 19-10]
No person shall allow a licensed or unlicensed dog, cat or other
animal to be present on or within any of the following fenced-in playing
fields of the Township, or any adjoining playground areas inclusive
of areas on which playground structures are located: Memorial Field,
Gardner Field, Clark Field and Sherry Field.
[Amended 5-2-2016 by Ord.
No. 16-03; 9-17-2018 by Ord. No. 18-13]
The Township shall provide for an appropriate Animal Control Officer to take into custody and impound or cause to be taken into custody and impounded any stray dogs and other stray animals. An owner of a stray dog or other stray animal may obtain the release of such stray dog or stray animal impounded due to an emergency call by the payment of a recovery fee in the amount set forth in Chapter 212, Fees, which shall be made payable to the Township of Washington. No owner or person keeping or harboring a dog or cat shall be permitted to claim an impounded dog or cat unless a license and registration tag can be produced at the time such claim for release is made.
The provisions of this article shall be enforced by the Police
Department and the Department of Health of the Township of Washington.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
Any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with the provisions hereof shall be liable to a penalty as provided in § 1-1 of Chapter 1, General Provisions, to be recovered in the manner provided by the aforesaid sections of the Revised Statutes of New Jersey, as amended and supplemented.
