Description
The Division of Animal Control  provides a variety of services related to the well-being of animals and residents who come in contact with them: 

• Picking up stray or abandoned animals
• Issuing dog licenses
• Responding to animal nuisance/cruelty complaints
• Picking up and disposing of dead animals

For after hours complaints or calls, please contact the Jersey City Police dispatcher at (201) 547-5477 to page Animal Control.

Download our new 2013 list of dates and locations of The Department of Health's popular Pet Owner's Day Clinics here.

Found a dog or cat? Check our Lost Pet Alert page here. If the page is empty, no one has been reported missing and we can assume that all is well with the world!


Save on the Fee and Tag Fido for Three! New Dog Licensing Schedule Provides Options For The Frugal-Minded (And Busy) Pet Owner

The Division of Animal Control's new dog licensing fee schedule allows owners to purchase either the traditional one-year license or the new three-year license, which comes at a discount.

The new licensing calendar becomes effective on May 1, 2013 and will require dog owners to renew their pup's tags either once every year or every three years, depending on the licensing schedule they choose.

For more information on the new program, and the requirements and fees involved to license your dog, read more here.

ASPCA $10,000 Grant Allows City To Help Residents Provide Their Pets
With Wellness Vaccinations At 2012 Jersey City Pet Owner’s Day Clinics!

With eight stops on the tour and a $10,000 grant from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, members of the Municipal Council, the Department of Health & Human Services/ Division of Health are proud to present Jersey City’s 3rd Annual Pet Owner’s Day Clinics, beginning Sunday, April 22nd, 2012, and running weekends through Saturday, June 23rd 2012.

All events will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the dates scheduled. 

Pet Owner’s Day has grown dramatically from one event at City Hall in 2010 to a record scheduled eight events at various locations across Jersey City in 2012.

In addition to the traditional FREE rabies shots for BOTH dogs and cats, this year will offer FREE wellness shots to any dog or cat whose owner is a resident of Jersey City, courtesy of the ASPCA grant:

• For Dogs (4 in 1) DA2PP = Distemper, Adenovirus 2 (also called Hepatitis), Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus
• For Cats (3 in 1)FVRCP = Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia (cat distemper).

All dogs must be licensed to receive free shots (cats are not required to be licensed in Jersey City) and Bureau of Animal Control personnel will be on hand to help residents take advantage of the immensely popular and frugal “Save on the Fee & Tag Fido for Three” program (see below).

People For Animals is also joining Pet Owner’s Day this year and will provide residents and their pets with spay/neuter counseling, $25 micro-chipping, Frontline and Revolution flea prevention applications for $10 and $14 respectively, and Strongid home dosages at $5 per 10 pounds of each pet’s body weight.

Residents whose dogs are already up-to-date with their rabies shots and have a three-year dog license can still come to these clinics for the free wellness shots and other services provided by People For Animals.

As usual, all dogs must be leashed or in a carrier. All cats must be in a carrier. Dogs and cats must be accompanied by an adult (18 and over) at all times.

Note: Please make all Checks or Money Orders for Licensing Fees Payable to “Jersey City Division Of Health”. NO CASH will be accepted for licensing. Services provided by People For Animals must be paid in cash or Credit Cards (Master Card/Visa/Discover) ONLY. No checks.

For more information, call 201-547-4888.

Animal Control Receives $79,500 Grant From
PetSmart Charities® For A Targeted Spay/Neuter Program!
Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy announced this week that the Department of Health & Human Services/Bureau of Animal Control has been awarded a $79,500 grant from PetSmart Charities® to help end the overwhelming surrendering of unwanted animals with a targeted spay/neuter program.

This grant will allow the City to help pet owners spay or neuter 400 dogs and 600 cats in a particular zip code, in this case 07305. The 07305 zip-code was chosen because of the amount of owner surrenders, strays, dead animals reported in that particular area. All dogs must be licensed to benefit from this grant. Because the grant money is limited, all spay/neuters are on a first come, first serve basis.

“I applaud PetSmart Charities® for investing in Jersey City and the hard work of the Bureau of Animal Control for recognizing the considerable benefits healthy pets provide for our residents’ quality of life,” said Mayor Healy. “We understand that many people are struggling, and that is why we sought private funding to help our pet owners who may be facing difficult times. Our goal and PetSmart’s goal is to provide owners with the opportunity of keeping their pets rather than surrendering them to a shelter or abandoning them on the streets.”

The Humane Society estimates between three and four million cats and dogs are euthanized each year and that 25 percent of all pets in shelters are purebreds as opposed to mixes. In sharp contrast, US Pet Industry, consisting of, among other items, food, toys, and veterinary visits, contributed more than $50 billion to the national economy last year alone.

“Not only do pets provide companionship and love to the homebound and elderly, they also help build community by bringing people together at dog runs in one of our many fine parks,” said Mayor Healy.

Read more on the PetSmart Charities® Grant here. Don't live in 07305 zip-code? Read about The Neuter Commuter here! 


Uh-Oh. I Don't Believe She ATE THAT?
It's happened to every pet owner. You come home from work or wake up from a nap to find the fridge standing open and a shredded container of something or other sheepishly hidden in a corner or tucked away in the back of Fido's crate and your pup looking peaked. Will it poison Miss Kitty? Was Peeps the parakeet in on the act? What will raisins do to him?

Don't panic. Here's a  link and a number that will give you info FAST! NJ Poison Control for Pets - 1-800-222-1222. And remember to lock the fridge next time you go out.

Online Help Center Service Requests
Report animal cruelty 
Report constantly barking dogs
Report a dead animal
Report a stray or abandoned animal 
Get one or three year dog license information
Get free Rabies & Wellness Vaccination information