[Amended 12-28-2009 by Ord. No. 57-2009]
When used in this Part, the following words, terms, and phrases, and their derivations, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
AGGRESSIVE OR DANGEROUS ANIMAL - Any animal, including wild animals but not including dogs, that attacks, bites, or physically injures human beings, domestic animals, or livestock without provocation or which, because of temperament or training, has a known propensity to attack, bite, or physically injure human beings, domestic animals, or livestock.
ANIMAL — Construed in a broad sense to include not only mammals, but also birds, reptiles and insects.
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER — A City employee or agent authorized to enforce the City of Reading Code, an employee of the designated animal control authority or agent of the City, designated by the Mayor to administer and enforce the licensing/permit, inspection and enforcement requirements contained within this Part.
ANIMAL HOSPITAL — Any establishment maintained and operated by a licensed veterinarian for surgery, diagnosis, and treatment of animal diseases and injuries.
ANIMAL NUISANCE — Any nuisance arising out of the keeping, maintaining or owning of, or failure to exercise sufficient control of, an animal.
ANIMAL SHELTER — Any facility operated by the City or designated animal control authority for the temporary care, confinement and detention of animals and for the humane euthanization and other disposition of animals. The term shall also include any private facility authorized by the Mayor or his designee to impound, confine, detain, care for or destroy any animal.
AT LARGE — An animal is off the premises of the owner, and not on a leash or otherwise under the immediate control of a person physically capable of restraining the animal.
ATTACK — The deliberate action of a dog, whether or not in response to a command by its owner, to bite, to seize with its teeth or to pursue any human, or animate object, with obvious intent to destroy, kill, wound, injure, or otherwise harm the object of its action. All attacks shall be reported to the City of Reading Codes Official within 48 hours (see Chapter 288, Part 1, Health Code, § 288-109, Animal bite incidents, of the Code of the City of Reading). [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
CODE OFFICIAL (PROPERTY MAINTENANCE INSPECTOR) - A City of Reading employee or authorized agent sworn to enforce the City of Reading Codes and Codified Ordinances. This term is used interchangeably with Property Maintenance Inspector (PMI).
CRUELTY — A person commits an offense if he wantonly or cruelly ill treats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal's body heat and keep it dry. This shall not apply to activity undertaken in normal agricultural operation [See 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5511(c)]. [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
DESIGNATED ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY — Agency that has a contract with the City of Reading for animal control.
DISPOSITION — Adoption, quarantine, voluntary or involuntary custodianship or placement, or euthanasia humanely administered to an animal. "Disposition" includes placement or sale of an animal to the general public, or removal of an animal from any pet shop to any other location.
DOG, AGGRESSIVE - Includes any or all of the following, except police dogs or guard dogs acting under the supervision of a police officer or certified trained dog handler, or certified service dogs:
(1) Any dog which bites, inflicts injury, assaults or otherwise attacks a human being or a domestic animal without provocation.
(2) Any dog which, without provocation, pursues or attacks any person or domestic animal upon the streets, sidewalks or any public grounds or places.
(3) Any dog which is trained to attack or cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or domestic animals, or any dog which has a history of attacking or propensity to attack people or domestic animals without provocation.
DOG, DANGEROUS (DANGEROUS DOG) - Any dog as defined in 3 P.S. § 459- 102.
DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL ANIMAL — Any nonwildlife or nonexotic species altered through controlled breeding for the primary purpose of agricultural use or farming purposes. [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
DOMESTIC COMPANION ANIMAL — Any nonwildlife or nonexotic species altered through controlled breeding for the primary purpose of human companionship and serving no widely recognized agricultural, farming use or working purposes.
EXEMPT EXOTIC ANIMAL — Any nondomestic animal not native to Pennsylvania routinely offered for sale by pet stores with in Pennsylvania, nonpoisonous reptiles not exceeding a maximum length of 60 inches at maturity, nonpoisonous fish, and nonpoisonous amphibians not requiring state, federal, or City permitting. [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
EXOTIC ANIMAL — Any rare or unusual animal pet or an animal kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet may also be a species which is not indigenous to the locale including, but not limited to, alligators, crocodiles, foxes, tortoises, skunks, raccoons, chinchillas, wild felines as defined herein, snakes, lizards, scorpions, and nonhuman primates. [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
GUARD OR ATTACK DOG — A dog trained to attack on command or to protect persons or property, and who will cease to attack upon command.
HARBORING — An animal shall be deemed to be harbored if it is fed or sheltered for three or more consecutive days. [Added 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
HEEL — The animal is directly behind or next to a person and obedient to that person's command.
IMPOUNDMENT — The taking into custody of an animal by any police officer, animal control officer, or any authorized representative thereof.
KENNEL — Any premises wherein any person engages in the business of boarding, breeding, buying, letting for hire, training for a fee or selling dogs or cats.
MUZZLE — A device constructed of strong, soft material or of metal, designed to fasten over the mouth of an animal to prevent the animal from biting any person or other animal.
NATIVE WILDLIFE ANIMAL — All nondomestic animals naturally occurring in the wild within the borders of Pennsylvania.
OFFICER — Police officer, Codes Official, Property Maintenance Inspector and/or duly appointed animal control officer.
OWNER — Any person having temporary or permanent custody of, sheltering or having charge of, harboring, exercising control over, or having property rights to, any animal covered by this Part. [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
PERSON — Any individual, partnership, association, corporation, company, firm, institution, trustee, estate, trust, any private entity or public entity as well as all officers, agents, servants, employees or others acting for any of the same, and shall be taken as applying in the singular or plural as the case may require.
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE INSPECTOR - See Codes Official.
PROVOCATION -Any action which incites, instigates, angers, irritates, enrages or stimulates an animal to kill in passion and without deliberation.
PUBLIC NUISANCE ANIMAL — Any animal that unreasonably annoys humans, endangers the health of people or other animals, or substantially interferes with the rights of citizens, other than their owners, to the enjoyment of life or property. The term "public nuisance animal" shall include, but not be limited to: [Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]
A. Any animal that is found running at large.
B. Any dog or cat in any section of a park or public recreation area unless the dog or cat is controlled by a leash or similar physical restraint.
C. Any animal that damages any property other than that of its owner.
D. Any animal that makes disturbing noises, including, but not limited to, continued and repeated howling, barking, whining, or other utterances causing unreasonable annoyance, disturbance or discomfort to neighbors or others in close proximity to the premises where the animal is kept or harbored shall be governed by Chapter 387, Noise, § 387-104, Specific prohibited acts, of the Code of the City of Reading.
E. Any animal that causes fouling of the air by noxious or offensive odors and thereby creates unreasonable annoyance or discomfort to neighbors or others in close proximity to the premises where the animal is kept or harbored.
F. Any animal in heat that is not confined so as to prevent attraction or contact with other animals.
G. Any animal, whether or not on the property of its owner, that without provocation, molests, attacks, or otherwise interferes with the freedom of movement of persons in a public right- of-way.
H. Any animal that chases motor vehicles in a public right-of-way.
I. Any animal that attacks domestic animals.
J. Any animal that causes unsanitary conditions in enclosures or surroundings where the animal is kept or harbored.
SANITARY — A condition of good order and cleanliness to minimize the possibility of disease transmission.
UNDER RESTRAINT — An animal is secured by a leash, lead under the control of a person physically capable of restraining the animal and obedient to that person's commands, or securely enclosed within the real property limits of the owner's premises.
WILD FELINES — Wild felines are considered, include, but are not limited to lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, jaguars, mountain lions and nondomesticated cats. [Added 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 48-2014]