Animal Control & Service Areas

Animal control is a public safety and animal welfare service that responds to and manages a wide variety of animal-related situations within contracted municipalities. Our trained hybrid animal control and humane society police officers work to protect the health and safety of both people and animals by responding to reports of stray, injured, sick, or aggressive animals; enforcing Pennsylvania dog laws (including tethering, licensing, and rabies requirements); and supporting public health partners with investigations and quarantine procedures. In addition to field response, we provide humane capture, assessment, care, and sheltering of animals, helping reunite pets with their families or place them into new homes with professionalism, compassion, and adherence to best practices in modern animal care. Today’s animal control extends beyond enforcement to include community service, public health protection, and the humane treatment of animals in our care.

In Pennsylvania, responsibility for providing animal control services rests at the municipal level, not the county level as it does in many other states. Berks County is made up of individual townships and boroughs, and each municipality independently decides whether, and how, to provide animal control services. There is no state or county mandate requiring municipalities to offer animal control, nor is there dedicated state or county funding to offset the cost of those services, which is why many communities do not provide formal coverage at all. Likewise, private nonprofit shelters, such as the Animal Rescue League of Berks County, are not legally required to provide animal control services. ARL has chosen to offer animal control as an elective public service for many years, doing so thoughtfully and responsibly in a way that protects our staff, our organization, and the communities we serve while balancing public safety, animal welfare, and available resources.

No, the ARL shall provide services during normal operating hours (with the exception of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day), which are set exclusively by the ARL, and which may be revised from time to time at the ARL’s sole discretion. 

Any animal events or needs that occur outside of normal operating hours or on the holidays described above are not the contractual or financial obligation of the ARL. For further resources on after-hours, visit berksarl.org/overnight.

The first thing anyone should do is call the municipality they found an animal in to find out if they have an animal control contract and what to do next. If you call or visit us before making that call, we’d be happy to guide you to the animal control provider that your municipality chose. If that agency is unable to help you, or if your municipality chose not to contract with an animal control provider, we can provide a list of resources to assist residents if we are unable to at that time.

As capacity allows, the ARL will accept out-of-contract stray animals or owner surrenders for a fee. Any sick or injured animal, regardless of originating municipality, will be admitted without a required fee. 

When your municipality signs a contract with us, your tax dollars are helping to subsidize part of the care that animals from your township or borough receive at the ARL.

If you live in a municipality that does not have an animal control contract (or has another provider), we charge a fee to help subsidize the animal’s care while at the ARL. The fees are:

• Cats: $100
• Dogs: $200
• Small Animals: $50

Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to catch personal or stray pets or retrieve them from trees, under sheds, etc.  

In instances where we can assist with stray animals, the animal must be securely confined in a way that prevents escape before an Animal Control Officer can be dispatched to pick it up.

*In our contracted municipalities, if an animal is injured or threatening a person or property, we will assist your police department with the capture of these animals at large. For all municipalities, regardless of contract, we offer trap rentals as well as a variety of tips to help you. Please call to discuss your situation and concerns with one of our staff members to see how we might be able to assist you.

Yes. The Animal Rescue League of Berks County conducts animal cruelty and humane investigations throughout Berks County, regardless of municipal contract status. We encourage anyone with concerns about the welfare or treatment of an animal to contact us so the situation can be properly assessed. While our humane police officers have countywide jurisdiction, animals can only be removed from a home or property when legal standards for intervention are met under Pennsylvania law. For concerns involving animals located outside of Berks County, please contact local law enforcement or the humane police organization responsible for that jurisdiction.

It is important to understand that situations where an animal’s living conditions appear inadequate or upsetting do not always meet the legal definition of cruelty under Pennsylvania law. This disconnect can be deeply frustrating for community members, and for our officers as well, when the care an animal is receiving falls short of what we would hope for, yet does not allow for legal intervention. In these cases, our humane society police officers are committed to explaining what the law does and does not permit, and to providing education whenever possible. We encourage residents to engage in respectful, constructive conversations with our officers to better understand these legal boundaries and the steps that can be taken to improve outcomes for animals within the framework of the law.

For more, please visit https://berksarl.org/animal-cruelty-and-humane-investigation/

Traditional TNR is not included in ARL’s animal control contracts, however, SNVR can qualify when animals are eligible to be returned. we are pleased to announce that some municipalities have begun providing voucher programs with the ARL. For information or updates on this service, please visit https://berksarl.org/community-cats-program/
Further description for TNR vs. SNVR services and more available here: https://berksarl.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-community-cats/

Unfortunately, we are unable to pick up deceased animals or dispose of them; however, we are willing to scan them for a microchip or provide cremation services to you (please see fees on this page). If you suspect the animal died as a result of cruelty or neglect, please contact us so our humane police officers can open an investigation.

Injured animals can be taken to any urgent care or emergency animal hospital at the finder’s expense. All enforcement of humane law or local ordinances is the responsibility of the municipality’s police department. Healthy animals can be housed or contained by the finder until the ARL reopens and is available for pick up or finder drop off.   

…If you are concerned about a stray animal, a lost pet, or the mistreatment of animals, we encourage you to call us at 610-373-8830 ext. 205 to discuss your options. Thank you!