Berks County Animal Complaints: Strays, Bites and Barking

Berks County has no animal control office. Who handles an animal complaint depends on what the animal did: a stray or a barking dog is your township, borough or city's job, usually through its police or the shelter it pays; a dog bite goes to local police and the state dog warden, with the Department of Health deciding on rabies shots; cruelty or neglect anywhere in the county goes to the Animal Rescue League's humane officers at 610-373-8830, ext. 400; and a dead deer on a state road goes to PennDOT at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.

The Animal Rescue League of Berks County, known as ARL, puts it plainly: in Pennsylvania the duty rests with each municipality, no state or county rule requires a town to provide animal control, and many do not. Berks also has no county health department; the state Department of Health lists seven county and four city health departments, and none is here. That leaves four sets of phone numbers to know.

Problem	Who handles it	Number
Stray dog or cat	Your municipality's police or office, then its shelter under contract	Local police non-emergency line
Dog bite	Local police; the state dog warden; your doctor reports it to the Department of Health	Warden 717-360-7853; 877-PA-HEALTH
Barking, loose or nuisance animal	Municipal ordinance, enforced by police or code enforcement	Local police non-emergency line
Cruelty or neglect	ARL humane society police officers, countywide	610-373-8830, ext. 400
Unlicensed dog, dog running at large	State dog warden or local police	717-360-7853
Dead deer on a state road	PennDOT	1-800-FIX-ROAD
Wildlife (bear, rabid raccoon, injured deer)	Pa. Game Commission dispatch, 24 hours	1-833-PGC-WILD

Stray animals

Start with the municipal office or police non-emergency line for the place where you found the animal, and ask which shelter the town uses. ARL lists 13 municipalities under 2026 agreements: full service for the City of Reading, Upper Bern Township and Wyomissing Borough, and dogs-only fee-for-service agreements, capped at 15 dogs and with field pickup carrying "Additional Fees (Priced by zone)," for Amity, Bern, Caernarvon, Colebrookdale and Union townships and Bechtelsville, Boyertown, Kenhorst, Topton and West Reading boroughs. Safety Net Sanctuary in Fleetwood lists 20 others, including Cumru, Exeter, Muhlenberg and Spring townships, and holds each dog 48 hours. ARL does not catch loose animals; a stray must be confined before an officer can be sent, and it rents traps. Our guide to a lost or found pet in Berks County covers the hold periods, fees and what to do town by town.

Two lines in ARL's contract table matter for complaints. "Local animal ordinance and state dog law enforcement" and "rabies case management" are included only in the full-service contracts. In the 10 fee-for-service towns and in the roughly 40 municipalities on neither list, those jobs fall to the municipality's police and to the state.

Dog bites

1. Wash the wound with soap and water and get medical care. The Department of Health's rabies fact sheet says rabies is always fatal without post-exposure treatment, that "virtually all cases are fatal" once symptoms appear, and that prompt treatment after a bite prevents it. The Department of Agriculture adds that if the animal ran off and cannot be found, seek care immediately.
2. Get the owner's name, address and the dog's rabies vaccination information, and the names of witnesses. Photograph the injury.
3. Call your local police non-emergency line, or 911 if the dog is still loose and a threat. In Reading that is 610-655-6116; Muhlenberg Township police take non-emergency calls through county dispatch at 610-655-4911; Exeter Township police list the department at 610-779-1490 and 610-655-4911 for non-emergencies, the Berks County dispatch line Muhlenberg's police page identifies. In Reading, section 141-203 of the city code also requires every animal bite or attack to be reported to the Property Maintenance Division and the police within 48 hours and sets a 10-day quarantine for the animal.
4. Call the state dog warden for Berks County. The Department of Agriculture's warden map lists Troy Lipp at 717-360-7853 and regional supervisor Megan Horst at 717-418-0284. The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement lists "investigating dog bites and placing quarantines" among its responsibilities; the bureau's phone is 717-787-3062.
5. Tell your doctor it was an animal bite. State regulation, 28 Pa. Code section 27.21a, makes an animal bite reportable to the Department of Health within 24 hours by the health care practitioner or facility that treats it. The Department of Health, not a county office, then advises whether you need the rabies vaccine series, which the fact sheet describes as four shots on days 0, 3, 7 and 14 plus immune globulin at the first visit. The department's 24-hour line is 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258), and its State Health Centers directory lists the Berks County Health Center in the Reading State Office Building, 625 Cherry St., Room 401, Reading, PA 19602, 610-378-4377, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The 10-day observation

A dog, cat or other pet that bit a person and is not suspected of having rabies must be "kept confined and isolated so that there is no further exposure of humans or animals during an observation period of 10 days," under 7 Pa. Code section 16.23. The Department of Agriculture explains the logic: if the animal is still healthy at the end of the period, it "was very unlikely to have had rabies in its saliva on the day it bit the person" and is released from observation. The Department of Health's fact sheet puts it more flatly: a dog, cat or ferret that is healthy after 10 days "did not have rabies in its saliva at the time of the bite." If the animal shows signs of rabies or dies, it is tested, which requires euthanasia. A wild animal suspected of having rabies that bites a person is euthanized and tested under section 16.24. Violating the rabies rules is a summary offense with a fine of up to $300 per day under section 16.2.

Owners have duties too. Section 16.41 requires every dog and cat over three months old to be vaccinated against rabies. If your own pet is bitten by a wild animal, the Department of Agriculture's general quarantine order sets a 45-day owner observation for a pet with a current vaccination and a department quarantine of at least 120 days for a pet that was never vaccinated. A pet whose vaccination had lapsed before the exposure gets one or the other, the department's rabies page says: a 120-day quarantine or 45 days of owner observation, depending on factors such as its vaccination history and the severity of the exposure. The department's Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services is at 717-772-2852.

Dangerous dogs

Pennsylvania's dangerous-dog law is Article V-A of the Dog Law. Under section 502-A, a state dog warden or a local police officer may file a complaint before a magisterial district judge charging the owner with harboring a dangerous dog, on behalf of the person attacked or the owner of a pet that was killed or hurt. The judge must find that the dog inflicted severe injury on a person without provocation, killed or severely injured a domestic animal off its owner's property, attacked a person without provocation, was used in a crime, or has a history of such attacks. "Severe injury" means broken bones or disfiguring cuts that need multiple sutures or cosmetic surgery. The protection does not apply to someone who was trespassing.

A conviction makes the dog a registered dangerous dog. Section 503-A requires the owner to pay a registration fee of $1,000 a year for the life of the dog, carry a $50,000 bond or liability policy, microchip and spay or neuter the dog, and keep it in a proper enclosure with warning signs. Section 504-A requires the dog to be muzzled and on a chain or leash held by a responsible person whenever it is outside that enclosure. Under section 505-A a first failure to register or confine is a third-degree misdemeanor, and an attack by a registered dangerous dog caused by the owner's negligence is a second-degree misdemeanor with a seizure and destruction order.

Some towns add their own rules. Muhlenberg Township's animal chapter requires a dangerous or aggressive dog to be confined at home, with a township placard posted, and muzzled on a chain no longer than three feet when off the premises.

Barking and nuisance animals

Barking is governed by municipal ordinance, so the rule, the enforcer and the fine change at each border. Four examples from the codes posted online:

• City of Reading: section 387-104F of the noise chapter makes it a violation to keep an animal that "howls, barks, meows, squawks, or makes other sounds continuously and/or incessantly for a period of 10 minutes or makes such noise intermittently for 1/2 hour or more" to the disturbance of any person, day or night, unless someone was trespassing or provoking the animal. Police enforce it, and the fine is $100 to $1,000, with each day a separate offense.
• Exeter Township: section 257-4F uses the same 10-minute and half-hour test. Exeter police enforce it and the fine is up to $1,000 per violation. A separate chapter, 116-7, bans animals running at large and keeps pets out of township parks, also with fines up to $1,000.
• Muhlenberg Township: Chapter 123 defines a "public nuisance animal" to include one that makes "continued and repeated howling, barking, whining or other utterances causing unreasonable annoyance" to neighbors, and section 123-3 makes keeping one unlawful. Police, a state official or the township's contracted animal control agency may enforce it; the fine is $100 to $1,000 plus costs.
• Spring Township: the animal chapter the township posts is a 1975 dog-curbing ordinance with a $300 fine and says nothing about barking. Call the code office at 610-678-5393 before assuming a barking rule exists there.

Topton Borough is rewriting its rule. The council's Nov. 2 agenda listed, under the solicitor, a "draft ordinance to replace Ordinance 5-1990, controlling dog barking, and other ordinances for animal nuisances" for discussion.

To file a complaint, call the police non-emergency line for a dog barking now, and the municipal office or code enforcement for a pattern. Reading's property and codes enforcement office says code complaints "should be recorded with the Citizen's Service Center" at 877-727-3234; our guide to reporting a problem to the city has the rest of the city's numbers. Keep a log with dates and times. Exeter's noise chapter treats complaints from two or more households who agree on the times as prima facie evidence, meaning enough to prove the violation unless the owner rebuts it; Reading's section 387-106, as amended Oct. 13, 2025, needs only one resident across the property line, or a police officer's own observation. If your town has no ordinance, the fix is a new one, and that starts at a council or supervisors meeting; our guide to township and borough meeting schedules shows how to find the next one.

Dogs running loose and unlicensed dogs

The state Dog Law applies everywhere regardless of local ordinances. Section 305 makes it unlawful for an owner to fail to keep a dog confined on the premises, secured by a collar and chain or other device, or "under the reasonable control of some person." Section 302 makes it the duty of every police officer, state dog warden and animal control officer to seize a dog found running at large on a street or on someone else's property. A first conviction under section 305 is a summary offense carrying, under section 903(b), a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both; a second within a year is a misdemeanor. Reading adds its own leash rule: section 141-209 requires any dog on a street, sidewalk, park or other public space, or on private property without the owner's consent, to be on a leash or chain strong enough to hold it, or "at heel and securely muzzled," and section 141-225 sets the fine at $300 to $1,000 plus costs, rising to $1,000 for each repeat offense.

Every dog three months or older needs a license by Jan. 1, and section 201(c) sets the fine for an unlicensed dog at $100 to $500 per dog. The Berks County Treasurer sells 2026 licenses for $10.80, or $8.80 for owners 65 and older; our dog license guide walks through it. Report a loose dog to local police or the warden, and a chronically unlicensed one to the warden.

Cruelty and neglect

ARL says it has been "the sole provider of animal cruelty and humane investigation services" in Berks County for more than a decade, that its humane officers answer nearly 2,000 calls a year, and that the service covers every municipality whether or not the town has an animal control contract; its service page adds that the officers "have countywide jurisdiction." The Department of Agriculture's registry of humane society police officers lists 10 officers appointed for Berks County: five from ARL, four from the Pennsylvania SPCA and one from the Large Animal Protection Society. The Pennsylvania SPCA's own cruelty report form does not accept Berks County reports; it lists 18 counties and sends everyone else to the state registry or local police. So in practice the call goes to ARL.

Report to ARL at 610-373-8830, ext. 400, by email to animalprotection@berksarl.org, or through the online form on its cruelty page. ARL asks for the address, time-stamped photos or video, and your contact information. Its officers look for four things: shelter with four walls, a roof and a floor sized to the dog; adequate food; clean water; and veterinary care. ARL warns that conditions that look upsetting do not always meet the legal definition, that animals are property it cannot seize without legal grounds, and that the law often requires education and follow-up visits first. The Department of Agriculture tells the public to report abuse to a local humane organization or the police, so a police report is a second route.

The law they enforce is Subchapter B of Chapter 55 of the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. sections 5531 through 5561, added by Act 10 of 2017. Neglect under section 5532 is failing to provide food and water, clean shelter that lets the animal stay warm and dry, or needed veterinary care; it is a summary offense, or a third-degree misdemeanor if the animal is injured or at imminent risk. Cruelty under section 5533, meaning to ill-treat, overload, beat, abandon or abuse an animal, is a summary offense or a second-degree misdemeanor with injury. Aggravated cruelty under section 5534, torture or neglect or cruelty causing serious injury or death, is a third-degree felony. Section 5536 presumes a dog is not neglected if it is tethered outdoors less than nine hours in a day on a proper tether with water and shade, and presumes neglect if it is tethered more than 30 minutes in temperatures above 90 or below 32 degrees, or on a tow chain or choke collar, or amid excessive waste or with open sores. A summary conviction carries a fine of $50 to $750, up to 90 days in jail, or both, under section 5550, and section 5551 gives humane society agents the same power as police to start criminal proceedings.

ARL's cruelty page lists hours of Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while its contact page says the shelter is closed Tuesdays. ARL ended overnight on-call service on Jan. 1, 2024; after hours, call local police, who enforce the cruelty law too. That overnight page still lists after-hours numbers for Jefferson Township and New Morgan Borough as towns with ARL contracts, though neither appears on ARL's 2026 service list; residents there should confirm with the municipality.

Dead animals on roads

Who removes a dead animal depends on who owns the road. PennDOT, which maintains state routes through its Engineering District 5 in Allentown, says a dead deer on a state-maintained road can be reported by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD or through its online Customer Care Center, which routes the report to the county maintenance office. On a township or borough road, call the municipality's road department or office. The Game Commission says its dispatchers take reports of road-killed deer and can tell you which agency covers that spot. ARL does not pick up or dispose of dead animals, though it will scan one for a microchip, and asks to be called if the animal may have died from cruelty.

A Pennsylvania resident may keep a road-killed deer for the meat by calling the Game Commission within 24 hours for a permit number.

Wildlife

Bears, rabid-acting raccoons, deer that need to be put down and other wildlife questions go to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's 24-hour dispatch center at 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-9453) or 1-833-PGC-HUNT (1-833-742-4868). A dispatcher contacts the game warden for the county. The Southeast Region office, which covers Berks, is at 253 Snyder Road, Reading, PA 19605, staffed weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Department of Agriculture says to call the Game Commission for help capturing and submitting a wild mammal suspected of rabies.

FAQ

Who do I call about a dog bite in Berks County?

Call local police, then the state dog warden for Berks County at 717-360-7853, and get medical care. Your doctor must report the bite to the Pennsylvania Department of Health within 24 hours, and the department advises on rabies shots. The biting dog is confined for a 10-day observation under state rabies regulations.

Is there a barking dog ordinance in Berks County?

Not a county one. Each municipality writes its own; Reading and Exeter Township ban animal noise lasting 10 minutes straight or a half hour on and off, Muhlenberg treats repeated barking as a public nuisance, and Spring Township's posted animal ordinance covers only dog waste. Check your town's code or call its office.

Who investigates animal cruelty in Berks County?

The Animal Rescue League of Berks County's humane society police officers, at 610-373-8830, ext. 400, for every municipality in the county. The state registry also lists Pennsylvania SPCA officers for Berks, but the PSPCA's report form does not take Berks cases. Police can also enforce the cruelty law.

Who removes a dead deer in Berks County?

PennDOT on state roads, at 1-800-FIX-ROAD or through its Customer Care Center; the municipality on local roads. The Game Commission's dispatch line, 1-833-PGC-WILD, can tell you which one covers the road. ARL does not pick up dead animals.

Does the ARL enforce leash and barking laws in my town?

Only in its three full-service municipalities for 2026: Reading, Upper Bern Township and Wyomissing Borough. Its fee-for-service agreements with 10 other towns exclude ordinance and dog law enforcement, which stays with local police and the state dog warden.

Sources

• Animal Rescue League of Berks County: Animal Control and Service Areas, Animal Cruelty and Humane Investigation, Contact Us and Overnight Resources. Safety Net Sanctuary: Stray Intake.
• State law and regulations: the Dog Law, sections 102, 201, 302, 305, 502-A, 503-A, 504-A, 505-A and 903; 7 Pa. Code Chapter 16, rabies; 28 Pa. Code section 27.21a, reportable conditions; 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 55, Subchapter B, cruelty to animals, and Act 10 of 2017; the Department of Agriculture's general quarantine order.
• Pa. Department of Agriculture: Rabies, the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, PA's Dog Laws, the dog warden map and the Humane Society Police Officer Registry.
• Pa. Department of Health: Contact Us, State Health Centers, County and Municipal Health Departments and the Rabies Fact Sheet.
• Municipal codes: City of Reading section 387-104, 387-106, 387-108, 387-109, 141-203, 141-209 and 141-225, Property and Codes Enforcement, the Citizens' Service Center and the Animal Control Board; Exeter Township Police; Exeter Township Chapter 257 and Chapter 116; Muhlenberg Township Chapter 123 and police contact page; Spring Township Chapter III and Code Enforcement; Topton Borough Nov. 2, 2026 agenda.
• Pennsylvania SPCA: Report Cruelty.
• PennDOT: Contact Us, District 5 and the Oct. 2, 2024 release on dead deer. Pa. Game Commission: Contact Information and the Southeast Region.
• Berks County Treasurer: Dog License.

Animal Rescue League of Berks County: 58 Kennel Road, Birdsboro, PA 19508 (Cumru Township); 610-373-8830, ext. 400 for cruelty and neglect, ext. 205 for stray animals; animalprotection@berksarl.org; Monday and Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesday per its contact page. Berks County dog warden Troy Lipp, 717-360-7853; supervisor Megan Horst, 717-418-0284; Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, 717-787-3062, ra-agdoglaw@pa.gov. Pa. Department of Health, 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258), 24 hours; Berks County Health Center, Reading State Office Building, 625 Cherry St., Room 401, Reading, PA 19602, 610-378-4377, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pa. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services, 717-772-2852. Pa. Game Commission Southeast Region: 253 Snyder Road, Reading, PA 19605; dispatch 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-9453), 24 hours; office staffed Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. PennDOT: 1-800-FIX-ROAD; District 5, 1002 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA 18101, 610-871-4106, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reading police non-emergency, 610-655-6116; Reading Citizens' Service Center, 877-727-3234. Muhlenberg Township police, county dispatch 610-655-4911. Exeter Township police, 610-779-1490, county dispatch 610-655-4911; Exeter Township office, 610-779-5660. Spring Township code office, 610-678-5393.