Animal Control
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Fax: (732) 530-4718
Welcome to the Borough of Red Bank Animal Control web site. This site is to help residents understand the diverse duties and responsibilities of the Animal Control Officer.
We are dedicated to promoting and protecting the health, safety and welfare of companion animals in Red Bank, Fair Haven, Little Silver, and Shrewsbury Borough & Shrewsbury Twp.
Response — to calls and complaints from the public concerning lost, stray, injured, or nuisance domestic animals; also concerning suspected rabid wild or domestic animals and vicious dogs. It is important that responses are timely and that 24-hour on-call service is available for emergencies.
Capture — of stray domestic animals, as well as wild animal rabies vectors (i.e., raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, and bats) threatening the safety and health of residents. Proper equipment (i.e., transportation vehicles, rabies poles, heavy gloves, a two way radio, official uniforms and badges, and humane capture animal traps) is essential to carry out the above duties.
Note: Response to and capture of nuisance wildlife that are not threatening humans (i.e., healthy appearing raccoons in garbage cans, squirrels in attics, etc.) are NOT considered necessary services for municipal animal control to provide. Animal control officers should be able to educate residents over the telephone on how to modify their residences (i.e., cap chimneys, secure trash firmly, etc.) so as not to attract animal nuisances and refer them to agencies that can assist them. (Pest Control Company) Patrolling - for stray cats and dogs (should be performed on a daily basis, even without complaints or reports.)
Investigation — into reports of bite incidents and vicious dogs; seizure and impoundment of dogs meeting criteria under the State vicious dog law (N.J.S.A. 4:19-19-35.)
Confinement — serving notices for the confinement of biting or bitten animals for rabies observation and monitoring these confinements, if authorized by the Health Officer (N.J.S.A. 26:4-82 and 83).
Evaluation — of animals captured or picked up as to the need for veterinary emergency care.
Transportation — of captured animals to impoundment facility; transportation vehicles must meet state regulations. Sick or injured animals must receive immediate emergency veterinary care. If designated, provide transportation of rabies specimens to State Public Health and Environmental laboratory.
Keeping record — to properly document all calls, activities, and animals picked up.
Education — of the public (including schools and other groups) as to responsible pet ownership, rabies prevention, and the need for spaying and neutering of pets (pamphlets on rabies control and statewide spay/neuter programs are available free of charge from the NJDHSS and on the DHSS website).
Participation — on local/county rabies task forces and other animal control related committees.
Canvass — for unlicensed dogs and cats and take enforcement action when necessary.
Although animal licensing sometimes seems like a chore to both pet owners and licensing clerks alike, there are many benefits to animal licensing. Licensed animals are required to wear identification tags that allow animal control officers to trace ownership of the animal and return lost strays to their owners.
The tag also serves as an indication that the animal is currently vaccinated against rabies in the event it is involved in a bite or attack. Pet owners who license their animals have been shown to take better care of their pets and are less likely to allow their animals to free-roam or otherwise become a nuisance to the community.
The owners of all dogs/cats seven months of age or older are required to annually apply to the licensing clerk of the municipality in which he or she resides for a dog/cat license. In order for the license to be issued, the owner must present proof that a licensed veterinarian has vaccinated the animal against rabies and that the duration of immunity from that vaccination extends through at least ten months of the twelve-month licensing period. An exemption to the rabies inoculation requirement shall be granted if the owner presents written certification from a licensed veterinarian that the animal cannot be vaccinated due to a medical condition or course of therapy.
Any question, concerns or needed information regarding animal licensing please call 732-530-2755.
- Spay and neuter your pets! To locate a low-cost spay/neuter program visit www.state.nj.us/health/cd/spayneut.htm
- Educate yourself before you acquire a pet.
- Adopt from your local pound, shelter or rescue organization.
- Volunteer at a local pound, shelter or for a rescue organization.
- Report any concerns regarding animal facility sanitary conditions to your local health agency and/or to the State Department of Health and Senior Services.
- Report any concerns of animal cruelty, neglect or abuse to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and to the animal cruelty investigator in your municipality.
- Be prepared to ensure your pet's safety in an emergency. Make sure your emergency plan addresses what you will do when an emergency requires you to leave your home, leave your pet at home, or prevents you from returning home.
- Borough Ordinance
- Plan & Prepare to Avoid Pet Dispair
- Rabies Vaccination Clinics
- History of the Animal Control Officer
- Essential Components of Municipal Animal Control
- American Humane
- American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – ASPCA
- Animal Welfare Federation of New Jersey – AWFNJ
- Career Development Institute
- Humane Society of the United States – HSUS
- The Monmouth County S.P.C.A
- New Jersey Department Health
- New Jersey Legislature
You can call your county mosquito control agency. As the pesticide applicator, with professional staff licensed to apply mosquito, larvicides and adulticides, the county agency can answer questions regarding insecticide applications in your community.
- Patrolling for stray domestic animals
- Investigations into reports of attacks
- Investigations into reports of abused or sick animals
- Response to public complaints concerning lost, stray, injured or nuisance domestic animals
- Capture of stray domestic animals
- Keeping records to properly document all calls, activities and animals picked up
West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis is a mosquito-borne viral disease, which can cause an inflammation of the brain. WNV is commonly found in Africa, West Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and is closely related to St. Louis encephalitis virus, which was found in New Jersey in 1964 and 1975. For the first time in North America, WNV was confirmed in the New York metropolitan area during the summer and fall of 1999. WNV successfully over-wintered in the northeastern United States and was present in humans, horses, birds, and mosquitoes in 2000 and 2001. Preparations are being made to monitor for WNV activity again in 2002.
