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Editor's Note: As to dogs generally, see N.J.S.A. 4:19-1 et seq.
For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
Certified municipal animal control officer or dog warden or, in the absence of such an officer, the chief law enforcement officer of the City or his designee.
[Added 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
CAT
Any domesticated cat, neutered or spayed cat.
[Added 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
DEPARTMENT
The Department of Health and Human Services.
[Added 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
DIRECTOR
The Director of the Department of Health and Human Services or his designee.
[Added 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
DOG
Any dog, neutered dog, bitch or spayed bitch.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
DOGS COMMONLY AND FREQUENTLY USED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES
Any dogs of licensing age kept or harbored that are or have been traditionally used for household or commercial security purposes. Dogs included are American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, bull terriers, doberman pinschers, rottweilers, Staffordshire bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers or any dogs of mixed breed which have the appearance or characteristics of being predominantly a dog listed above.
[Added 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
CAT OR DOG OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat or dog which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
KENNEL
Any establishment wherein or whereon the business of boarding or selling dogs or breeding dogs for sale is carried on, except a pet shop.
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat or dog, includes every person having a right of property in such cat or dog and every person who has such cat or dog in his keeping.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
PET SHOP
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part of a kennel, wherein any animal, bird, fish or reptile is held for sale.
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of cats and dogs seized under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
SHELTER
Any establishment where cats and dogs are received, housed and distributed.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006; 2-23-2015 by Ord. No. 7-2015]
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006; 2-14-2017 by Ord. No. 3-2017]
The Department of Public Safety shall employ a suitable person as Animal Control Officer and may employ such assistants to the Animal Control Officer as may be authorized in the City's budget. The Animal Control Officer shall be subject to the supervision and direction of the Director of Public Safety.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
A. 
The duties of the Animal Control Officer shall include:
(1) 
Collection and disposition of bodies of dead animals.
(2) 
Enforcement of this article.
(3) 
Control of animals to prevent destruction of property, disturbance to peace and quiet and creation of hazard to public health and safety.
B. 
The Animal Control Officer may be authorized to shoot squirrels and other forms of wildlife and to capture and destroy or otherwise dispose of other animals to effectuate the duties set forth in this section.
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006; 2-23-2015 by Ord. No. 7-2015; 2-14-2017 by Ord. No. 3-2017]
The Animal Control Officer shall annually or biennially, as directed by the City Council, cause a canvass to be made of all cats and dogs owned, kept or harbored within the City and shall report the results thereof on or before May 1 of each year or May 1 of every other year, as appropriate, to the City Clerk, the Director of the Department of Public Safety, the Department and the State Department of Health, setting forth in such report the names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring unlicensed cats and dogs and the number of unlicensed cats and dogs owned, kept or harbored by each of such persons, together with a complete description of each unlicensed cat or dog.
[Amended 7-20-1987 by Ord. No. 22-1987; 2-22-1999 by Ord. No. 4-1999]
A. 
No person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of any dog shall permit, cause or suffer such dog to soil, defile or defecate on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, street, passageway, bypath, play area, park 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. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
B. 
The person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of any dog shall only permit, cause or suffer such dog to soil, defile or defecate in that portion of the street between the curb and 36 inches towards the center line of the street, or on private property owned or rented by the person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of any dog, and on private property of another who gives permission, provided that:
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
(1) 
The person with and in charge of such dog shall immediately remove all feces deposited by such dog by any sanitary means approved by the Department. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
(2) 
The feces removed from the aforementioned designated area shall be disposed of by the person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of such dog in a sanitary manner approved by the Department. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
[Added 7-20-1987 by Ord. No. 22-1987; amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
Notwithstanding the enforcement powers granted by this chapter to the Animal Control Officer and Police Department, the provisions of § 132-10 may also be enforced by the Sanitary Inspectors of the Department and by the Property Maintenance Inspectors.
[Amended 2-22-1999 by Ord. No. 4-1999]
No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall permit or suffer it to do any injury or damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, ground or property. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
[Amended 2-22-1999 by Ord. No. 4-1999; 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
It shall be unlawful for any person to possess or harbor any dog on premises under his control, which dog shall habitually bark, snarl, growl or make other disturbing noises to other persons using the premises or residing in close proximity to the premises. Any person having care or custody of any dog shall at all times have the same under such control as to halt or prevent any menacing, intimidation, continuing barking or making of other noises disturbing to persons who are lawfully in the vicinity of such dog. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
[Amended 2-22-1999 by Ord. No. 4-1999]
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall permit or suffer it to run at large on any public street or in any public area or public building or on any premises other than those of which such person is owner or on which such person is a tenant, unless:
A. 
Such dog is controlled by a leash no longer than six feet in length. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
[Amended 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
B. 
Such dog is prevented from biting by having its jaws confined by a securely fastened muzzle. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
C. 
The owner or tenant of such other private premises expressly consents to such dog being on such premises without a leash or muzzle. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
D. 
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog commonly and frequently used for security purposes as defined under § 132-5 above shall permit or suffer it to run at large on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, street, passageway, bypath, play area, park or any place where people congregate or walk, or upon any public property whatsoever unless such dog is securely muzzled and restrained with a leash or tether approved by the Animal Control Officer or other official designated by the City and having a minimum tensile strength of 300 pounds sufficiently in excess of that required to restrict the dog's movement to a radius of no more than three feet from the licensee and under the direct supervision of the licensee. (See § 132-29 for violations and penalties hereof.)
[Added 12-26-2006 by Ord. No. 34-2006]
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Editor's Note: Former § 132-14, Vicious dogs, as amended 10-10-1972 by Ord. No. 43-1972 and 11-27-1972 by Ord. No. 51-1972, was repealed 12-14-1998 by Ord. No. 19-1998. See now Art. VII, Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dogs, of this chapter.