Harrisburg, PA – Beginning at the moment, Pennsylvania’s up to date Dog Law takes impact to extend public security in communities, add shopper protections for individuals who purchase or undertake dogs, strengthen necessities for all sorts of kennels, and enhance penalties for individuals who violate the regulation and put individuals and dogs in danger.
Pennsylvania’s Dog Law obtained a bipartisan upgrade because of Governor Josh Shapiro’s signing on October 23, 2023. Sponsored by Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee chair Senator Elder Vogel, the initiative noticed broad bipartisan assist, and was inspired by animal welfare advocates, kennel house owners, county treasurers and native regulation enforcement businesses. The majority of the modifications begin January 21, 2024, with the rise in new canine license charges starting February 1, 2024.
“Today is the beginning of a brighter future for our canine companions within the state of Pennsylvania,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding stated. “Under the up to date Dog Law, we’ve secured optimistic modifications that may empower canine wardens to enact higher protections for our households and communities, curb dishonest breeding, and safeguard canine well being throughout the Commonwealth.”
Dog licenses, that are required in Pennsylvania, assist make dogs readily identifiable within the occasion they’re misplaced. Even if a canine has a microchip, a license on their collar is clearly seen, and helps guarantee they make it home moderately than ending up in a shelter.
Before the modifications, kennel charges had been frozen for practically 60 years, and individual license costs remained unchanged for 30 years, severely straining funds to assist enforcement of Pennsylvania’s Dog Law.
Beginning January 21, the next measures take impact:
- Kennels and shelters that supply dogs on the market or adoption should embrace their kennel license quantity in commercials.
- Kennels promoting or adopting dogs at retail to the general public are chargeable for disclosing breeder info, vaccination and medical documentation, and any recognized chew assaults on a human or a home animal.
- Dogs imported into PA kennels have to be remoted for at the very least 14 days.
- Fines for unlicensed dogs will vary from $100 to $500, plus court docket prices.
- The legal penalties for all different violations of the canine regulation have elevated to $500 to $1,000 for abstract offenses and $1,000 to $5,000 for misdemeanor offenses plus court docket prices.
- The annual registration for harboring a harmful canine will enhance from $500 to $1,000 for any canine deemed harmful.
- Owners of dogs already declared harmful that attack once more might be required to seek out and pay a kennel to deal with the canine throughout court docket proceedings, to make sure the group stays secure till a ultimate willpower is made.
Beginning February 1stthe next measures might be enacted:
- The price for an annual canine license will enhance to $8.70 on February 1, 2024 for all dogs. Licenses bought between December 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024 might be available on the prior charge of $6.70 for spayed or neutered dogs, and $8.70 for others.
- Lifetime license charges will enhance to $52.70 on February 1, 2024. Lifetime licenses bought between December 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024 might be available on the prior charge of $31.70 for neutered animals, and $51.70 for others.
Licenses could be bought via Pennsylvania’s county treasurers. Lifetime licenses are available for dogs with a microchip or tattoo. Discounts are available for qualifying senior residents and individuals with disabilities. Each license price contains $1.70 postage and administrative prices, which stays within the county the place the license was bought.
For extra info of Pennsylvania’s canine legal guidelines, go to agriculture.pa.gov or licenseyourdogpa.pa.gov.
Contact: Jay Losiewicz, [email protected]717-908-6228
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