Southern York County Life

I am a proud new owner of a 9 week old puppy.  I understand that Steartstown has a leash law.  But I do not know the details of the law.  Can anyone tell me if you must always have a dog on a leash even in your own property.  Can you use an electric invisible fence?  I asume that if you put up a wooden fence that the dog may run in there without a leash.  Thanks for any input MAB  

I don’t know the answer, but Kudos to you MABrown for stepping up and asking.  Actually, Kudos to anyone that cares enough for their animals, neighbors, and the populous of our town enough to actually investigate the laws.   

how exciting!!  wondering if you know that a spayed or neutored dog will be not only healthier, but also will be less likely to want to leave ( to find other dogs!!).  the humane society or the spca will be the least expensive place to go, or if you want to use your own vet… call these places and request a coupon, usually shelters will offer these coupons to encourage spaying and neutoring.  p.s. i heard that shrewsbury vet is not very good.. but the one in red lion is wonderful.  if you are willing to drive to md.. we use a wonderful vet!!! 

TTS - why do you say the Shrewsbury vet is not very good? Is it word of mouth? Have you even tried them? Well (not starting trouble here) I have tried them, and their care for my puppy and cat have been nothing short of excellent.

jmkas, i recieved this information from a reliable source who experienced serious difficulties when faced with requiring specialized care for her dogs.  it is always important to consider what and how your vet will respond in emergency situations… some vets do not expand their knowledge past regular care/maintanece.. it is important to choose a vet (or any physician), who has immediate access to colleagues to collaborate with about cases, i believe that vet is the only one in that practice.  the vet that we use has vast expereince and training in blood diseases, cancer treatment, chiropractic care, and physical therapy post surgery/injury and is affiliated with two animal emergency hospitals.  we recently lost one of our babies this past year due to a serious genetic blood disorder… it was a wonderful experience to see my vet respond so quickly and made every best effort to save him.  we would never have expected to need such expertise available.  it was an awful time for us, but it would have worse if i had to watch the doctor flounder.  we were a part of the entire process and felt that our vet did everything that he could.  we have several animals that have experienced unexpected illnesses and we have found our vet wonderful.  i hope that you also have that experience at the shrewsbury vet.  no offense intended, but word of mouth is how most people find mechanics, doctors, hairstylists and even vets...and good reliable businesses grow in this manner as well.

TTS - thanks for your response. I do appreciate your story and I am sorry to hear you lost one of your ‘babies’. I guess that I have been fortunate that my previous (and only until now) dog died of old age and not some unexpected illness. Please dont take my response personal, I am just looking to have a healthy debate. You established your position in the beginning, which I accept, and I have established mine with my first response, but....

(the second response)

Yes, word of mouth is a powerful tool in promoting or demoting any business. I sometimes take such recommendations to heart, more so when moving into a new area. But to play devil’s advocate, I dont know of any business that has 100% customer satisfaction, and with that, there will always be dissatisified customers who are more than willing to tell of their unpleasant experience. That bad memory is often magnified when the subject (pet in this case) and you are emotionally attached. The emotion is not always there if you receive poor service in a resteruant, or a car mechanic tries to pull a fast one (both are equally displeasing events which will result in bad word of mouth). But if something happens to a pet or person…

Then the source has to be considered. You feel comfortable with your source, and because of that, you dont mind passing that on. (this forum - and there is nothing wrong with that). My sources for using this vet have all been reliable as well. I have personal good experiences, and I have passed that on. But in the end (and as you suggest) I would certainly hope that people do take the time to do the legwork up front instead of basing their decision solely on one good or bad reference.

One thing that I will confirm soon but thought I would ask: Is this a general clinic for basic or routine animal care or an actual certified animal hospital that is more equipped to handle trauma / emergencies, specialized needs and unusual or rare problems and disorders? . Part of me wonders: Just as I would not visit my general practitioner for specialized care, why would the same not apply to my pet? I am certain there are examples to make that do not support ‘my wonder’ - but it more or less was a general question.

TTS - thanks again for your thoughtful response -JMKAS :mrgreen: 

TTS and JMKAS, I hope you both don’t mind me jumping in here also.  What I see are two people who care enough about there pets to try to provide them with the best service possible.  I would hope that more people take the time to research their pet’s care, not only medical but nutrition and diet also.  We are responsible for their lives.  Think of all the homeless pets who never get a chance.

Doghouse - not at all, jump in.  You are right, I do care for my dogs very much. I do appreciate TTS’s conversation as well.  I do feel bad about all the homeless animals, but I can feel good about saving one. My new pup is from the an Animal Rescue Shelter.

To all - I have found that leash laws are a state regulation. PA’s regulation reads:

“Dogs must not be allowed to run loose, they must be under the owners control at all times. Owners are responsible for damage caused by their dog(s). NOTE: Some towns have laws pertaining to cats roaming also.”

Hopewell Township does not appear to have a leash law for cats, but Shrewsbury Township is condsidering one. Hope that clears up things a bit.

You may want to check Stewartstown Boroughs ordinanace list, I think cats and other domesticated animals are included in an ordinance about animals at large.  As for catching any loose cats.....they are too fast for me. :mrgreen: 

Stewartstown does not specifically have a “leash law” however we have something that is a little broader in scope that is called the “Running at Large” ordinance.

What this means is that you must have your dog/cat or other common household pet under your control at all times when your household pet is not on your personal property. You should have your dog/cat/pet on a leash when you take your dog off your personal property.

The other requirement is that your dog/cat/pet must have a tag with the owners name, phone, address etc. Violation of the ordinance can result in a fine, however the requirement for an identification tag was really put in place so that if your dog/cat/pet were to run away it could be returned.

You do not need a leash or id tag as long as the animal stays on your personal property however it is suggested that you have the id tag just in case. 

I should also note that per State dog laws all dogs/cats are required to have annual rabies shots as well, however your local vet could provide more details about this.

Thanks,
Jeff Bruening
Councilman
Stewartstown Borough

Thanks for the information!