[Adopted 9-6-1955 by Ord. No. 112 (Ch.
31 of the 1973 Code)]
No dog shall be permitted to run at large at
any time in the Borough of Shrewsbury, except as hereinafter provided.
A.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall
suffer or permit the same to run at large anywhere in the Borough,
except upon the property of the person owning, keeping or harboring
said dog.
B.
Any dog off the premises of any person owning, keeping
or harboring the same shall be accompanied by a person capable of
controlling said dog and who has the dog upon a leash not exceeding
10 feet in length or in a crate or box or otherwise securely confined
so as to prevent it from running at large.
No person owning or having the care, custody
or control of any dog shall suffer or permit it to do any injury or
damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds, trees or any property
of persons other than the owner or person having the care, custody
or control of such dog.
The owner or custodian of any dog referred to in § 67-3 shall be responsible and liable for any damage done by any such dog.
[Amended 2-8-1988 by Ord. No. 567]
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or harbor
within the Borough any dog which is known to be vicious or which has
evidenced a disposition to attack human beings, unless the dog is
securely confined within a building, muzzled and securely confined
within an area completely surrounded by a secure fence five feet in
height or muzzled, leashed and attended by a person capable of controlling
the dog.
B.
Dogs bites; barking dogs.
(1)
The owner of a dog which bites a person while such
person is on or in a public place or lawfully on or in a private place,
including the property of the owner of the dog, shall be liable for
such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of
the former viciousness of such dog or the owner's knowledge of such
viciousness. The owner of a dog shall be responsible for any damage
caused by the destruction or wounding of sheep, lambs, domestic animals
or poultry, except dogs and cats, committed by the dog.
(2)
No person shall keep, harbor or maintain any dog which
barks, howls or cries continuously for 10 minutes or intermittently
for 30 minutes so that same unreasonably interferes with the enjoyment
of life or property of persons residing in the vicinity. The provisions
of this section shall apply to all private or public facilities, including
any animal pounds, kennels and pet shops, where a dog is held for
any reason.
[Amended 9-13-1966 by Ord. No. 238; 9-27-1973 by Ord. No. 346; 12-19-1981 by Ord. No. 467; 10-3-1983 by Ord. No. 490; 12-13-1993 by Ord. No.
671; 10-7-2003 by Ord. No. 816; 5-3-2004 by Ord. No. 835]
A.
Each and every dog shall be duly licensed and shall
bear evidence of such license at all times, in accordance with the
laws of the State of New Jersey. The annual fee for such license shall
be $12 for each dog including any fees imposed by the State of New
Jersey. In addition, an annual fee of $3 shall be paid for any dog
of reproductive age which has not had its reproductive capacity permanently
altered through sterilization. Said licenses and renewals thereof
shall expire on the last day of January in each year. A late fee of
$5 shall be assessed each month on all license renewals issued to
dog owner after the expiration date of January 31.
[Amended 10-1-2007 by Ord. No. 903]
B.
Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly
known as ”Seeing Eye” dogs, dogs used to assist handicapped
persons and commonly known as "service dogs" and dogs used to assist
deaf persons and commonly known as "hearing ear" 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 5-15-2006 by Ord. No. 871]
[Amended 5-15-2006 by Ord. No. 871]
The Mayor and Council shall have the power to
appoint an Animal Control Officer whose duty it shall be to enforce
the provisions of this chapter. The Mayor and Council shall also have
power to enter into a contract with one or more persons for the exercise
of the duty of the Animal Control Officer and to enforce the provisions
of this chapter.
[Amended 5-15-2006 by Ord. No. 871]
A.
The Animal Control Officer or any other person appointed
for the purpose shall take into custody and impound, or cause to be
taken into custody and impounded, any male or female dog running at
large in this municipality contrary to any of the provisions or sections
of this article.
B.
When any dog so seized has been detained for seven
days after notice, when notice can be given, or has been detained
for seven days after seizure, when notice cannot be given, in accordance
with the laws of the State of New Jersey, and if the owner or person
keeping or harboring said dog has not claimed said dog and paid all
expenses incurred by reason of its seizure and detention, and if the
dog be unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or person
keeping or harboring said dog has not produced a license and registration
tag for said dog, the Animal Control Officer or other designated authority
may cause the dog to be offered for adoption or destroyed in manner
causing as little pain as possible.
[Amended 9-27-1973 by Ord. No. 346; 3-14-1994 by Ord. No. 678; 5-15-2006 by Ord. No. 871]
Except as provided in N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.19, any
person convicted of violating any provision of this article shall
be subject to a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,250, a
term of imprisonment not exceeding 90 days or a period of community
service not exceeding 90 days, or any combination thereof. Any person
charged with violating any provision of this article after once having
been convicted of a violation of this article shall be required to
appear in court to answer such charge.
Nothing herein contained shall in any way be
construed as relieving any person from complying with any state statutes
or other regulations pertaining to the licensing and registration
of dogs, and this article is intended to be supplementary to any provisions
of any such other laws.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 31-11, Referendum
requested, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 2-8-1988
by Ord. No. 567.
