The Township Committee may by resolution establish
a pound and appoint an Animal Warden. The Township Committee may by
resolution enter into a contract with the Animal Warden for the collection,
keeping for redemption and destruction of all strays found within
the Township limits in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
The Animal Warden or any police officer may
take into custody and impound, or cause to be taken into custody and
impounded, any of the following dogs:
A.
Any dog running at large in violation of the provisions
of this chapter.
B.
Any dog off the premises of the owner of or the person
keeping or harboring such dog which such official 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.
Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner
of or the person keeping or harboring such dog.
Any officer or agent authorized or empowered
to perform any duty under this chapter is hereby authorized to go
upon any premises to seize for impounding any dog, which he may lawfully
seize and impound when such officer is in immediate pursuit of such
dog, except upon the premises of the owner of the dog if the owner
is present and forbids same.
A.
If any dog so impounded or seized wears a registration
tag, collar or harness having inscribed thereon or attached thereto
the name and address of any person or the owner of, or the person
keeping or harboring the dog is known, the Animal Warden or police
officer 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, or 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.
Any person authorized under this chapter to
do so may cause the destruction of any unclaimed dog, in as humane
a manner as possible, under any of the following contingencies:
A.
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.
B.
If the person owning, keeping or harboring any dog
so seized has not claimed the dog and has not paid all expenses incurred
by reason of its detention, including the sum of $5 for the first
12 hours and the sum of $1 for each additional day thereafter.
C.
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 chapter.
