Animal Control
Public safety and animal services
Animal Control
Find the correct contact for a sick, injured, dangerous, stray, deceased or lost animal, nuisance wildlife, an animal bite, or a possible rabies exposure in Saddle River.
- Immediate danger
- Call or text 911
- Police nonemergency
- 201-327-5300
- Tyco Animal Control
- 201-652-4554
- Health Commission
- 201-445-7217
Move people and pets to a secure location. Call or text 911 for an immediate threat to life or safety. A voice call is preferred when possible. Otherwise, call Saddle River Police at 201-327-5300. Do not use email or a general website form for an emergency.
Start here
Use the right contact for the situation
Saddle River coordinates animal response through the Police Department, the Borough's contracted animal-control provider, Tyco Animal Control, and Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission. Calling the correct agency helps route the report without delay.
EmergencyImmediate threat or active attack
Call or text 911 when a person is being attacked, a serious injury has occurred, or an animal creates an immediate danger to life or traffic. Stay at a safe distance and follow the dispatcher's instructions.
Saddle River PoliceUrgent, dangerous, injured or stray animals
Call Police for sick, injured, dangerous or aggressive animals, suspected rabies, and stray domestic animals. Also report an animal struck by a vehicle or a potentially dangerous dog violation.
Tyco Animal ControlRoutine animal-control services
Call Tyco for a lost owned pet, a dead animal on public property, private-property carcass removal, nuisance-wildlife removal, or a leash, pet-license or pet-waste complaint. Private-property and nuisance-wildlife services may involve a fee.
Health CommissionBites, saliva exposure and rabies follow-up
Report every animal bite and possible human exposure to animal saliva promptly to Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission. Seek medical care. Use its emergency-only number for an after-hours public-health emergency.
What to include when reporting
Give the exact location, animal type and description, current behavior, direction of travel, whether anyone or any pet was exposed, and a safe callback number. Say whether the animal is contained. Do not delay an urgent call to take photographs or video.
Email is suitable only for nonurgent follow-up requested by the receiving agency. Do not email medical records, payment information or sensitive personal information unless the agency gives you a secure method.
Lost, found and impounded pets
Report a missing or roaming pet promptly
Fast reporting gives Animal Control the best chance to connect an animal with its owner. Do not assume a found animal has been abandoned, and do not place yourself, the animal or traffic at risk.
Lost petCall Tyco and Police
Provide a recent description or photograph, pet name, species and breed, color and markings, license or tag number, microchip information, last known location and time, and your callback number. Notify the microchip registry and keep its contact record current.
Found or roaming petObserve from a safe location
Call Police for a stray domestic animal, especially near traffic or when the animal is fearful, injured or difficult to contain. Do not chase, corner, transport or introduce the animal to children or household pets. Follow the dispatcher's directions.
Possible impoundConfirm the actual facility
Call Tyco or Police for the animal's location and reclaim instructions. Bring identification and available proof of ownership, current license and rabies vaccination. Reclaim and boarding charges may apply. Do not travel to a shelter until the location is confirmed.
Act promptly: Under New Jersey law, identified owners receive notice when practicable, and an unclaimed impounded animal may become eligible for transfer, adoption or other lawful disposition after the applicable notice and holding period. State guidance generally identifies a seven-day holding period. Contact Tyco or Police immediately rather than relying only on social media.
Keep identification current
A visible municipal tag and an up-to-date microchip registration help responders reach an owner. Saddle River separately licenses eligible dogs and cats. Use the licensing page for requirements, records, fees and the Borough's external licensing portal.
Time-sensitive public health response
Report every bite and possible rabies exposure
A bite, scratch, or contact between animal saliva and broken skin, the eyes, nose or mouth may require prompt assessment. Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission is Saddle River's local health agency and coordinates the public-health follow-up.
-
Get to safety
Move away from the animal. Call or text 911 for an active attack, serious injury or immediate threat. Do not attempt to catch a wild, stray, sick or aggressive animal.
-
Wash and obtain care
Immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water. Seek prompt medical care for wound treatment and professional rabies-risk assessment.
-
Report the exposure
Call Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission at 201-445-7217. If the animal is loose, dangerous, sick or still present, also call Saddle River Police.
-
Preserve useful details
From a safe distance, note the animal's description, owner information when available, exact location and direction of travel. Follow all quarantine, examination and testing instructions.
Bats and pet exposures: If a bat may have had contact with a person or pet, keep people and pets away, close the bat into the room if this can be done without contact, and call Police, Tyco and the Health Commission for instructions before releasing or disturbing it. If a pet encounters wildlife, contact a veterinarian immediately and report suspected rabies exposure. Do not personally submit an animal for State testing.
Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission
20 West Prospect StreetWaldwick, NJ 07463
Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For an after-hours public-health emergency, call 201-885-3572. For a life-threatening emergency or immediate police, fire or ambulance response, call 911.
Wildlife and deceased animals
Observe wildlife from a safe distance
A wildlife sighting alone is not generally an emergency. Response depends on the animal's condition and behavior, whether it threatens people or pets, and whether removal is requested from public or private property.
Sick or dangerous wildlifeCall Police
Report wildlife that appears unusually aggressive, disoriented, paralyzed, unable to move normally, or otherwise presents an immediate health or safety concern. Keep people and pets indoors and note the location and direction of travel.
Nuisance or deceased animalCall Tyco
Tyco handles reports of dead animals on public property and may offer removal from private property for a fee. Nuisance-wildlife removal may also involve a fee. Confirm the service, authorization and charge before work begins.
Young or injured wildlifeContact a permitted rehabilitator
Healthy young wildlife is often left temporarily while a parent is nearby. Do not remove or possess it. Contact a New Jersey-permitted wildlife rehabilitator or Animal Control before intervening. Unlicensed possession of injured, orphaned or ill wildlife is unlawful.
Bear or coyote concernDo not approach or run
Move to a secure area, supervise children and bring pets indoors. Report aggressive behavior or an immediate public-safety concern to Police. Report bear damage, serious wildlife disease or other qualifying wildlife emergencies to NJDEP at 1-877-WARN-DEP.
Feeding wildlifeRemove attractants
Chapter 219 prohibits purposely or knowingly feeding wildlife, including deer, on public or private property, subject to the Code's stated exceptions. Chapter 209 separately prohibits feeding wildlife on Borough-owned property. Secure garbage, pet food and other attractants.
Trapping and relocationCheck the rules first
Saddle River generally prohibits animal traps except for limited circumstances described in § 79-9. State and federal wildlife rules may also restrict capture, possession, transport and relocation. Contact Tyco or NJDEP before setting a trap or moving wildlife.
Local responsibilities
Control animals and prevent health or neighborhood nuisances
The summaries below are a practical guide, not a substitute for the Code. The full ordinance text, official orders and applicable State law control.
If your vehicle hits or injures an animal: Saddle River Code § 79-8 requires a driver who knowingly strikes an animal to stop, determine the extent of injury and report the incident to Police or the pound. The driver must provide identifying, driver-license and vehicle-registration information and the animal's location. First stop in a place that is safe for people and traffic, then call Police.
Licensing and limitsLicense eligible dogs and cats
Keep rabies and municipal licensing records current. Residential lots may not keep more than four dogs and separately may not keep more than four cats. Additional kennel or other approvals may apply.
Control and propertyDo not allow animals to run at large
An animal is at large when off the owner's or custodian's premises and not under immediate control. Prevent animals from creating injury, annoyance, property damage or a public-health nuisance. Do not abandon an animal.
Barking complaintsUse the Code thresholds
Chapter 79 addresses continual and unreasonable dog vocalization lasting more than 20 continuous minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., or more than 15 continuous minutes from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Report nonurgent complaints to Tyco or Police.
Pet wasteRemove and dispose of it immediately
Owners and keepers must immediately and properly dispose of pet solid waste deposited on public or private property they do not own or possess, subject to the disability-assistance-animal exception in Chapter 160.
Parks and public areasCheck location-specific restrictions
Dogs may not run at large or disturb wildlife in Borough parks. Section 154-8 also prohibits dogs, whether leashed or unleashed, on the Walsh Family Pedestrian Bridge and west of it in the Tricker Pond Annex, subject to applicable disability-access law.
Livestock and poultryObtain approvals before keeping animals
Cattle, sheep, horses, poultry, pigeons and other fowl may require Board of Health licensing, plan review, zoning compliance and sanitary controls. Contact the Health Commission and Borough before acquiring or constructing facilities for these animals.
Animal-related Code references
Enforcement may depend on the species, conduct, location and immediate risk. Do not confront another person, trespass or put yourself in danger to document a violation. Give the responding agency factual observations, dates, times and locations.
Animal welfare and enforcement
Report suspected cruelty, neglect or dangerous-dog violations
Animal-cruelty investigations are handled through law enforcement, not the New Jersey Department of Health. Call 911 for active violence or an immediate threat. Otherwise, report suspected cruelty or neglect to Saddle River Police or the Bergen County Prosecutor's Animal Cruelty Task Force.
Cruelty or neglectReport facts without confronting anyone
Give the location, animal description, observed condition or conduct, dates and times, and any immediate safety concern. Preserve lawfully obtained photographs, video or records, but do not trespass, interfere with responders or delay an emergency call.
Potentially dangerous dogPolice reporting number
Report a suspected violation involving a dog designated or alleged to be potentially dangerous to Saddle River Police at 201-327-5300. Call 911 for an attack or immediate threat. This number is the Borough's public reporting contact for these complaints.
Required New Jersey materials
Animal cruelty laws and plain-language guide
New Jersey requires municipalities to post the full text of N.J.S.A. 4:22-17 and 4:22-26 and the State's plain-language cruelty-prevention guide. These materials must also be distributed to each person obtaining an annual dog license.
The Bergen County Animal Cruelty Task Force works with local law enforcement and accepts reports through central dispatch at 201-573-8900, 24 hours a day.
This page is a general routing and resident-information guide. The current Borough Code, New Jersey law, official public-health instructions and directions from responding agencies control. Service availability, fees, contacts and procedures may change. Confirm nonemergency details with the responsible agency.