4:22-19. Failure to care for, destruction of impounded animals; penalties; collection

4:22-19. A person who shall:

a. Impound or confine, or cause to be impounded or confined, in a pound or other place, a living animal or creature, and shall fail to supply it during such confinement with a sufficient quantity of good and wholesome food and water; or

b. Destroy or cause to be destroyed any such animal by hypoxia induced by decompression or in any other manner, by the administration of a lethal gas other than an inhalant anesthetic, or in any other manner except by a method of euthanasia generally accepted by the veterinary medical profession as being reliable, appropriate to the type of animal upon which it is to be employed, and capable of producing loss of consciousness and death as rapidly and painlessly as possible for such animal shall, in the case of a violation of subsection a., be guilty of a disorderly persons offense and shall be punished as provided in subsection a. of R.S.4:22-17; or, in the case of a violation of subsection b., be subject to a penalty of $25 for the first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense. Each animal destroyed in violation of subsection b. shall constitute a separate offense. The penalty shall be collected in accordance with the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.) and all money collected shall be remitted to the State.

This section shall apply to kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds as defined and licensed pursuant to P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.1 et seq.); to pounds and places of confinement owned and operated by municipalities, counties or regional governmental authorities; and to every contractual warden or impounding service, any provision to the contrary in this title notwithstanding.

Amended 1977, c.231, s.1; 1982, c.76, s.1; 1982, c.158, s.2; 1996, c.64, s.3; 2001, c.229, s.3.