§ 459-301. Quarantines.
§ 459-302. Seizure and detention of dogs; costs; destruction of dogs.
§ 459-303. [Deleted.]
§ 459-304. Dogs in heat, confinement thereof.
§ 459-305. Confinement of dogs.
A quarantine may be established by any state dog warden, licensed doctor of veterinary medicine having the approval of a state dog warden or any licensed doctor of veterinary medicine employed by the department or state or county health department. Any state dog warden, licensed doctor of veterinary medicine having the approval of a state dog warden or any licensed doctor of veterinary medicine employed by the department or state or county health department may enforce a quarantine whenever it is deemed necessary or advisable by the department to examine, test, treat, control or destroy any dog, or examine, disinfect or regulate the use of any premises, materials or products for the purpose of preventing or controlling the spread of any disease. Until a quarantine is officially revoked by the secretary or his employee, it shall be unlawful for any owner or person, without a special permit in writing from the department to sell, exchange, lease, lend, give away, allow to stray, remove or allow to be removed any dog or dogs, or any products, goods, materials, containers, vehicles or other articles or property named or described in the notice of quarantine. When a general rabies quarantine is established, at least ten notices thereof shall be posted throughout the area affected thereby and notice thereof shall also be published in at least one issue of a newspaper of general circulation throughout such city, borough, town or township. Any dog suspected of being rabid shall be detained in isolation by the owner, if known, and if such facilities are approved by the department, or by an employee of the department. If such detention has incurred costs not collectible by the employee of the department, then the employee of the department shall approve and reimburse the actual cost of such detention to the person providing facilities for such detention. Any police officer or state dog warden may humanely kill any dog running at large in a rabies quarantined area without any liability for damages for such killing.
(a) General Rule.--It shall be the duty of every police officer, state dog warden, employee of the department or animal control officer to seize and detain any dog which is found running at large, either upon the public streets or highways of the commonwealth, or upon the property of a person other than the owner of such dog, and unaccompanied by the owner or keeper. Every police officer, state dog warden, employee of the department or animal control officer may humanely kill any dog which is found running at large and is deemed after due consideration by the police officer, state dog warden, employee of the department or animal control officer to constitute a threat to the public health and welfare.
(b) Licensed Dogs.--The state dog warden or employee of the department, the animal control officer, or the chief of police or his agents of any city, borough, town or township, the constable of any borough and the constable of any incorporated town or township shall cause any dog bearing a proper license tag or permanent identification and so seized and detained to be properly kept and fed at any licensed kennel approved by the secretary for such purposes and shall cause immediate notice, by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested, to the person in whose name the license was procured, or his agent, to claim such dog within five days after receipt thereof. The owner or claimant of a dog so detained shall pay a penalty of $15 to the political subdivision whose police officers make such seizures and detention and all reasonable expenses incurred by reason of its detention to the detaining parties before the dog is returned. If five days after obtaining the postal return receipt, such dog has not been claimed, such chief of police, or his agent, or a constable, or state dog warden or employee of the department shall dispense such dog by sale or by giving it to a humane society or association for the prevention of cruelty to animals. No dog so caught and detained shall be sold for the purpose of vivisection, or research, or be conveyed in any manner for these purposes. All moneys derived from the sale of such dog, after deducting the expenses of its detention, shall be paid through the department of agriculture to the state treasurer for credit to the dog law restricted account.
(c) Unlicensed Dogs.--Except as otherwise provided by section 305, any police officer, state dog warden, employee of the department or animal control officer shall cause any unlicensed dog to be seized, detained, kept and fed for a period of 48 hours at any licensed kennel approved by the secretary for such purposes, except any dog seriously ill or injured, or forfeited with the owner's permission. Any person may view such detained dogs during normal business hours. Any unlicensed dog remaining unclaimed after 48 hours may be humanely killed or given to a humane society or association for the prevention of cruelty to animals. No dog so caught and detained shall be sold for the purpose of vivisection, or research, or be conveyed in any manner for these purposes.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any female dog to permit such female dog to go beyond the premises of such owner or keeper at any time she is in heat, unless such female dog is properly confined or under control.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any dog to fail to keep at all times such dog either:
The complete Pennsylvania Statutes are not yet available on the web. However, selected portions have been made available and can be accessed by CLICKING HERE. These statutes, though available instantaneously over the web, may not be the current law. Court decisions overturning them, later statutes amending them, and a host of other factors come into play when interpreting them. They are provided here as a resource. They should provide some information about the state of the law. However, a competent lawyer, who from other sources will research the law to insure what is current, should always be employed in matters of importance.