[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Gloucester 10-12-1983 by Ord. No. O-83-41.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance supersedes former Ch. 47, Dogs, adopted 10-6-1975 by Ord. No. O-75-42, as amended.
A. 
Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL CARE FACILITY
An animal control center or animal shelter, maintained by or under contract with any state, county, or municipality, whose mission and practice is, in whole, or significant part, the rescue and placement of animals in permanent homes or rescue organizations.
[Added 12-28-2015 by Ord. No. O-15-17]
ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION
Any not-for-profit organization which has tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, whose mission and practice is, in whole or in significant part, the rescue and placement of animals in permanent homes.
[Added 12-28-2015 by Ord. No. O-15-17]
CAT
Any cat, male or female.
[Added 11-14-1994 by Ord. No. O-94-54[1]; amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
CAT OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
[Added 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
DOG
Any dog, male or female.
DOG OF LICENSING AGE
Any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
HABITUAL BARKING
The creating of a noise disturbance from a habitual barking, yelping or howling dog continuously for 15 minutes or intermittently for one hour.
[Added 4-22-1996 by Ord. No. O-96-17]
KENNEL
Any establishment, location or premises wherein or whereon more than four dogs or cats, or combination thereof, are harbored, kept or maintained, or the business of boarding, selling or breeding dogs or cats for sale is carried on. This shall not apply to the temporary (until weaned) keeping of dogs or cats which have been born to a female dog or cat kept on the same premises. Kennels are prohibited in all residential zones.
[Amended 4-22-1996 by Ord. No. O-96-17]
LEASH
Any rope, chain, strap or other restraining device.
OFFER FOR SALE
To sell, offer for sale or adoption, advertise for the sale of, barter, auction, give away or otherwise dispose of a dog or cat.
[Added 12-28-2015 by Ord. No. O-15-17]
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a dog or cat, includes every person having a right of property in such dog or cat and every person who has such dog or cat in his keeping.
[Amended 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
PERSON
An individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association of persons.
PET SHOP
A retail establishment where dogs and cats are kept in any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen and are sold, exchanged, bartered or offered for sale as pet animals to the general public at retail. Pet shops are prohibited in all residential zones. Such definition shall not include an animal care facility or animal rescue organization, as defined.
[Amended 4-22-1996 by Ord. No. O-96-17; 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34; 12-28-2015 by Ord. No. O-15-17]
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG
Any dog or dog hybrid declared potentially dangerous by a Municipal Court pursuant to Section 7 of P.L. 1989, c. 307 (N.J.S.A. 4:19-23).
[Added 10-14-1998 by Ord. No. O-98-31]
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of dogs or cats seized either under the provisions of this chapter or otherwise.
[Amended 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
RUNNING AT LARGE
The presence of any dog or cat, whether licensed or not, off the lands and premises of its owner and unrestrained by a leash.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
SHELTER
Shelters where dogs or cats are received, housed, kept, maintained or distributed without charge are prohibited in all residential zones.
[Amended 4-22-1996 by Ord. No. O-96-17]
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Gloucester, County of Camden, New Jersey.
VICIOUS DOG
Any dog or dog hybrid declared vicious by a Municipal Court pursuant to Section 6 of P.L. 1989, c. 307 (N.J.S.A. 4:19-22).
[Added 10-14-1998 by Ord. No. O-98-31]
[1]
Editor's Note: Ordinance No. O-94-54 also changed the title of Ch. 47 from "Dogs" to "Pets."
B. 
Word usage. The singular shall include the plural.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
No person shall keep or harbor any dog or cat within the Township of Gloucester, in the County of Camden, without first obtaining a license therefor, to be issued by the Township Clerk upon application by the owner and payment of a prescribed fee, and no person shall keep or harbor any dog or cat in said Township except in compliance with the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog or cat of licensing age shall, in the month of January of each year, apply for and procure from the Office of the Township Clerk a license and official registration tag for each such dog and cat owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon each such dog and cat a collar or harness with the registration tag securely fastened thereto.
[Amended 10-15-1986 by Ord. No. O-86-30; 10-10-1994 by Ord. No. O-94-45; 11-14-1994 by Ord. No. O-94-54; 4-22-1996 by Ord. No. O-96-17; 6-28-1999 by Ord. No. O-99-19; 11-28-2005 by Ord. No. O-05-47; 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28; 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34; 10-22-2007 by Ord. No. O-07-26; 1-27-2025 by Ord. No. O-25-01]
A. 
The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay a fee of $21 for registering each altered dog or cat and $24 for registering each unaltered dog or cat before January 31 of each calendar year. A senior discount for residents aged 65 or older, or veterans, shall be applied at the fee of $8 for registering each altered dog or cat and $11 for registering each unaltered dog or cat before January 31 of each calendar year. A late fee of $15 shall be charged for each license not applied for by March 31 of each calendar year.
B. 
Any person applying for a license and registration tag for a dog determined to be potentially dangerous pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq. of the laws of the State of New Jersey shall pay an annual fee of $700.
Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "Seeing Eye dogs" shall be licensed and registered as other dogs hereinabove provided for, except that the owner or keeper of such dog shall not be required to pay any fee therefor.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
A. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township of Gloucester any dog or cat licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog and cat, unless such dog or cat is licensed under another section of this chapter.
B. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township any unlicensed dog or cat and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog and cat, unless such dog or cat is licensed under another section of this chapter.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
A. 
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the dog or cat for which the license and registration are sought and whether it is of a long- or short-haired variety; also, the name, street and post office address and telephone number of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such dog or cat.
B. 
The information on said application and said registration number issued for the dog or cat shall be preserved for a period of three years by the Township Clerk.
[Amended 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
A. 
No person in the Township of Gloucester shall own, possess, harbor or have in custody any dog or cat over seven months of age unless such dog or cat has been vaccinated or inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. Such vaccination or inoculation shall consist of an antirabies vaccine of standard and accepted quality and formula, the duration of which shall be noted on the vaccination certificate or tag.
B. 
No license or registration tag will be issued unless proof of rabies vaccination or inoculation has been presented to the Township Clerk.
C. 
Registration numbers shall be issued in the order of the applications.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28; 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
The Township Clerk shall cause, every two years, a canvass to be made of all dogs owned, kept or harbored within the limits of the Township and shall report to the State Department of Health the result thereof.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
A. 
Any person appointed for that purpose by the governing body of the Township shall take into custody and impound or cause to be taken into custody and impounded and thereafter destroyed or disposed of as provided in this section:
(1) 
Any dog or cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog or cat which said official or his agent have reason to believe is a stray dog or cat.
(2) 
Any dog or cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog or cat without a current registration tag on his collar.
B. 
If any dog or cat so seized wears a collar or harness having inscribed thereon or attached thereto the name and address of any person or a registration tag, or if the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog or cat is known, any person authorized by the governing body shall forthwith serve on the person keeping or harboring said dog or cat a notice, in writing, stating that the dog or cat has been seized and will be liable to be disposed of or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after the service of the notice.
C. 
When any dog or cat so seized has been detained for seven days after notice, when notice can be given as above set forth, or has been detained for seven days after seizure, when notice has not been and cannot be given as above set forth, and the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog or cat has not claimed said dog or cat and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention, including maintenance, not exceeding $10 for the first day and $3 a day thereafter, or if the dog or cat is unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog or cat has not produced a license and registration tag for said dog or cat, any person authorized by the governing body may cause the dog or cat to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
Any officer or agent authorized to perform any duty under this chapter is hereby authorized to go upon any premises to seize for impounding any dog or dogs or cat or cats which he may lawfully seize and impound when such officer is in immediate pursuit of such dog or dogs or cat or cats, except upon the premises of the owner of the dog or cat if said owner is present and forbids the same. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized to perform any duty under this chapter.
[Amended 4-22-1996 by Ord. No. O-96-17]
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, maintain, harbor, or have in possession any dog which, by frequent or habitual barking, shall cause a nuisance by creating a serious annoyance or disturbance to any individual or to the neighborhood.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog or cat shall suffer or permit it to run at large upon the public streets or in any public park or in any public building or in any other public place within the Township or upon any private premises outside the premises of the owner.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog or cat shall permit or suffer it to do any injury or to do any damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property.
[Added 6-25-1984 by Ord. No. O-84-29; amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
A. 
No person owning, possessing, harboring, keeping, walking or in custody or charge of any dog or cat shall cause, suffer, permit or allow such dog or cat to soil, defile, defecate on or commit any nuisance on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, bypath, play area, park, school ground or any place where people congregate or walk, or upon any public property whatsoever, or upon any private property without the permission of the owner of said property; provided, however, it shall be a complete defense to a violation of this section that such person immediately shall have removed and disposed of all feces and droppings deposited by said dog or cat in a suitable and sanitary manner.
B. 
Any person owning, possessing, harboring, keeping, walking or in custody or charge of any dog or cat shall have in his or her possession appropriate sanitary means to remove immediately any feces and droppings which may be deposited by such dog or cat on or in the areas enumerated or described in Subsection A above. Such means shall include, but is not limited to, a scooper, shovel, container, disposal bag, wrapper or other implement.
C. 
Disposal in a suitable and sanitary manner shall include but shall not be limited to taking the removed feces and droppings home in a container, disposal bag or wrapper and placing the same in a trash can or removing the same from the container, bag or wrapper and depositing the same in the sanitary sewer. In no event shall disposal in a suitable and sanitary matter include the placement of unwrapped feces or droppings in a trash can, or the placement or disposal into a storm sewer or the burial of said feces or droppings on or in property or areas enumerated and described in Subsection A above.
(1) 
The prohibition contained in this § 47-15.1 shall not apply to any blind person owning, possessing, harboring, keeping, walking, in custody or charge of, or accompanied by a guide dog or Seeing Eye dog.
[Added 6-25-1984 by Ord. No. O-84-29; amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28; 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
No person owning, possessing, harboring, keeping or in custody or charge of any dog or dogs or cat or cats shall cause, suffer, permit or allow the accumulation of dog and/or cat feces or droppings upon his or her property or upon property occupied by him or her to the extent that the odor may be noticeable to any adjoining property owner or owners or that it creates or results in an attraction for vermin breeding or any other public health nuisance to adjoining property owners and neighbors.
[Added 6-25-1984 by Ord. No. O-84-29]
Complaints for the violation of §§ 47-15.1 and 47-15.2 of this chapter may be filed in the Municipal Court of the Township of Gloucester by any citizen, special officer or member of the Police Department.
[Amended 9-25-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-28]
No person, except an officer in the performance of his duties, shall remove a registration tag from the collar of any dog or cat without the consent of the owner, nor shall any person attach a registration tag to a dog or cat for which it was not issued.
A. 
Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel or pet shop shall apply to the Township Clerk for a license entitling him to keep or operate such establishment, which application shall describe the premises where the establishment is located or is proposed to be located and the purpose for which it is to be maintained and shall be accomplished by the written approval of the governing body, showing compliance with the local and state rules and regulations governing the location of and sanitation at such establishment.
B. 
All licenses issued for kennels or pet shops shall state the purpose for which the establishment is maintained, and all such licenses shall expire on the last day of June of each year and shall be subject to revocation by the governing body on the recommendation of the State Department of Health or the Mayor of the Township of Gloucester, for failure to comply with the rules and regulations of the State Department of Health or the ordinances of the Township governing the same, after the owner has been afforded a hearing by either the State Department of Health, or the governing body or as may be required by N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.8.
[Amended 5-24-2004 by Ord. No. O-04-11]
C. 
Any person holding such license shall not be required to secure individual licenses for dogs owned by such licensee and kept at such establishments. Such licenses shall not be transferable to another owner or different premises.
D. 
Regulations.
[Added 12-28-2015 by Ord. No. O-15-17]
(1) 
A pet shop may offer for sale only those dogs and cats that the pet shop has obtained from or displays in cooperation with:
(a) 
An animal care facility; or
(b) 
An animal rescue organization.
(2) 
A pet shop shall not offer for sale a dog or cat that is younger than eight weeks old.
The annual license fee for a kennel providing accommodations for 10 or fewer dogs shall be $10 and for more than 10 dogs, $25. The annual license fee for a pet shop shall be $10. No fee shall be charged for a shelter or pound.
[Amended 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
A. 
License fees and other money collected or received under the provisions of this chapter, except those fees which are forwarded to the State of New Jersey, shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Township and shall be placed in two special accounts separate from any of the other accounts and shall be used for the following purposes:
(1) 
For collecting, keeping and impounding of dogs and cats liable to seizure under this chapter.
(2) 
For local prevention and control of rabies.
(3) 
For payment of damage to or losses of poultry and domestic animals, except dogs and cats, caused by unknown dog or dogs.
(4) 
For canvass of unlicensed dogs as prescribed by the State of New Jersey.
(5) 
For administering the provisions of this chapter.
(6) 
For providing for dog and cat control in the Township.
B. 
The registration tag fee of $1 for each dog, and all other fees collected in connection with dog licensing and registration, shall be forwarded within 30 days after collection by the Township Clerk to the State Department of Health.
C. 
All fees collected from cats will remain in the Township.
[Amended 10-14-1998 by Ord. No. O-98-31]
A. 
It shall be the duty of the Police Department or Animal Control Officer of the Township to receive and investigate complaints against dogs, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 through 4:19-37.
B. 
The Municipal Court of the Township of Gloucester is charged with determining whether a dog is vicious or potentially dangerous based on criteria provided by State Statute, N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 through 4:19-37. No dog which has been so determined to be a vicious or potentially dangerous dog shall be permitted to run at large or be upon any street or public place in the Township of Gloucester, except while securely muzzled and under leash; and the owner or person harboring any such vicious or potentially dangerous dog who shall suffer or permit such dog to run at large or be upon any street or public place in said Township while not securely muzzled and under leash shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter.
[Added 11-13-2002 by Ord. No. O-02-45[1]]
A. 
No owner or person in charge shall fail to provide their animals with humane care and treatment, sufficient, good and wholesome food and water, proper shelter and protection from the weather, veterinary care, when needed to prevent suffering.
B. 
No person shall beat, cruelly ill-treat, torment, overload, overwork and otherwise abuse any animal or cause or permit any fight between animals or between animals and humans.
C. 
No owner of an animal shall abandon such animal.
[1]
Editor's Note: Ordinance No. O-02-45 also changed the title of Ch. 47 from "Pets" to "Pets and Animal Abuse."
[Amended 6-25-1984 by Ord. No. O-84-29; 6-28-1999 by Ord. No. O-99-19; 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. O-06-34]
A. 
Any person who violates or refuses to comply with any part of the provisions of this chapter or with the rules and regulations promulgated by the State Department of Health governing the sanitary conduct and operation of kennels, pet shops, shelter or pounds to preserve sanitation therein and prevent the spread of rabies and other diseases of dogs and cats within and from such establishments shall be liable to a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the Township.
B. 
Any person who fails to obtain a dog or cat license and registration tag as herein provided shall be liable to a fine of not less than $25 and not more than $100. Any person who violates or fails to comply with any part of §§ 47-15, 47-15.2 shall, upon conviction thereof, be liable to a fine not to exceed $250 for each offense or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 days, or both, at the discretion of the court.
C. 
License denial. Any person found violating or refusing to comply with any part of the provisions of this chapter, resulting from a complaint filed in Municipal Court of the Township of Gloucester, by any citizen, special officer or member of the Police Department, on three or more occasions, shall be denied the issuance of a license to keep or harbor any dog or cat within the Township of Gloucester, and any dog or cat shall be removed by order of the Municipal Court of the Township of Gloucester.