The Dog The Pound Picked Up
Dog Law 302 — five days after notice for a licensed dog, and 48 hours for an unlicensed one
A licensed dog. A seized dog bearing a license tag or permanent identification is kept and fed at an approved kennel, and the person it is licensed to is notified by personal service or registered or certified mail to claim it within five days after receipt. The owner pays a penalty of $50 and the reasonable expenses of detention before it is returned.
An unlicensed dog. An unlicensed dog is kept and fed for a period of 48 hours, not counting days the kennel is closed to the public, and anyone may view detained dogs during business hours. An unclaimed unlicensed dog may afterward be humanely killed or given to a humane society.
Never for research. No dog caught and detained may be sold or conveyed for vivisection or research.
Dangerous dog proceedings, bite quarantines, and local fee schedules are set out elsewhere and are not on this page. What a particular shelter's hours or fees are is a question for that shelter or a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Dog Law 302 — Seizure and detention of dogs; costs; destruction of dogs
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.