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Animal Complaints
Any complaints regarding chickens, domestic ducks, pigeons, fish, please call 3-1-1 or 631-957-7474.
- Complaints for barking, dogs at large, waste collection, number of dogs, etc. When you call the Shelter to make a complaint you will be speaking to office personnel. They will dispatch your complaint to an Animal Control Officer (ACO). Please be prepared with an exact address. An ACO will call you back to discuss the procedure for Animal Control’s response to these types of complaints.
- Complaints for dogs that have attacked or threatened to attack a person or companion animal will be responded to by an Animal Control Officer (ACO). The Town Of Babylon has court procedures for these types of cases. Please be prepared with the exact address of the dog at issue and the police central complaint number on your police report. The NYS Law for this can be found here.
Animal Control:
The Town of Babylon covers 53 square miles and is serviced by 3 Animal Control Officers who enforce Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets Law of New York State and the Local Laws and Ordinances of the Town of Babylon.
Animal Control Officers cannot enforce the codes that are in the Villages of Amityville, Babylon, and Lindenhurst. Staff in the shelter office takes initial animal control calls and complaints from residents and dispatch the many calls per year to the Animal Control Officers.
Monday-Friday 8am-3:30pm, contact Animal Control services at 631-643-9270. Animal Control Officers respond to:
- Loose or contained stray dogs
- Cats only if injured or sick
- Wildlife only if injured or sick on a case by case basis. Some wildlife calls are best handled by licensed and trained wildlife personnel.
- **Outside of these regular business days and hours Animal Control Officers only respond to sick, injured, or vicious contained dogs after Public Safety has been contacted 631-422-7600
Please contact the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for information about controlling nuisance wildlife (ie. raccoons, Canada geese, bats). 631-444-0310
Deceased Animals on Roadways:
Dogs: You may contact the Animal Shelter at 631-643-9270 for a deceased stray dog in the roadway. The dog will be scanned for a microchip and all attempts will be made to locate the owner.
Cats & Wildlife:
- Town roadways please call 3-1-1 or 631-957-7474
- State Roadways please call 631-420-4270 (Deer Park Ave. (North of Southern State Pkwy), Conklin St., Sunrise Hwy, Montauk Hwy., Route109, Route 110.)
- County roadways please call 631-852-4010 (Great Neck Rd., Wellwood Ave., Bay Shore Rd., Oak St., Straight path., Commack Rd., Deer Park Ave. (South of Southern State Pkwy).
- Amityville Village roadways 631-264-6000
- Babylon Village roadways 631-669-4878
- Lindenhurst Village roadways 631-957-7500
Animal FAQs:
- Wildlife - General Information
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Most wildlife concerns are governed and handled by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. The animal shelter will only pick up injured wildlife for humane purposes. Residents are encouraged to call the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at (877) 457-5680 or (631) 444-0250 in Stony Brook with any issues and concerns regarding wildlife. In most cases, a licensed wildlife handler will need to be called out to your property to remove any wildlife that are roaming, trapped, threatening or injured on or near your property. Babylon Animal Shelter will assist Town residents with injured wildlife concerns if it poses a threat or of an immediate concern.
- Who handles issues involving raccoons, opossums and squirrels?
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Licensed trappers are qualified to assist residents with concerns involving raccoons, opossums, and squirrels. Contact information for licensed trappers can be found listed in the Yellow Pages under either "pests", "trappers", or "wildlife specialists." For additional information, you can contact the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at (631) 444-0310.
- Who handles issues involving birds, ducks, and geese?
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Residents are encouraged to call Volunteers for Wildlife at (631) 423-0928 or the Star Foundation at (631) 736-8270 for concerns involving birds, ducks, geese and other fowl wildlife.
- Dogs - General Information
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Town code states that no household should have more than four (4) dogs residing in the home at the same time. New York State law dictates that all dogs must be licensed, be current on their rabies vaccinations and leashed when off of their property. The Shelter recommends all dogs and cats be spayed/neutered.
- What do I do if bitten by a dog?
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Victims of dog bites are urged to contact the Suffolk County Police Department to file a police report, if warranted. Their direct number is (631) 854-8100. Otherwise, for health concerns related to a dog bite, questions should be directed to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services at (631) 843-0421. Reports of dog bites should also be referred to the Suffolk County Board of Health at (631) 852-5900 as well as the Animal Shelter at (631) 643-9270.
- How do I file a barking dog complaint?
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An affidavit must be filed for all barking dog complaints. Residents are encouraged to call the Animal Shelter at (631) 643-9270 and a representative will walk them through the process.
- What breeds of dogs could I find at the Animal Shelter?
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The Shelter accepts all breeds of dogs.
- How do I file a dangerous dog complaint?
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For full details, contact the Animal Shelter at (631) 643-9270. All dangerous dog incidents should be recorded with contact information, addresses and phone numbers. If police reports and witness reports exist, those should accompany the complaint to the Animal Shelter. Witness reports and neighbor statements should be notarized. Dangerous dog complaints are heard at the Second District Court located at 30 East Hoffman Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY. The phone number is (631) 854-1121. There is a filing fee for all complaints brought to the Court.
- How do I have a summons issued regarding a dog complaint?
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If an animal violation is not witnessed by an Animal Control Officer, all complaints need to be filed through an affidavit and submitted to the Animal Shelter. Affidavits are available for pick up at the Shelter or can be mailed when requested. Call (631) 643-9270 for details.
- Cats - General Information
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In the State of New York, cats are considered free roaming animals and, as such, are not labeled as "stray" animals. As a result, the Shelter does not pick up stray cats. The Town does not set a limit to the number of cats a household can own. The Shelter acknowledges and supports Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) programs. Currently, there is a low cost TNR program for town residents and businesses caring for feral cats. For more information, call the Animal Shelter at (631) 643-9270.
- What is a feral cat?
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Feral cats are an international problem as well as a local problem. Understanding and solving the feral cat problem on a local level here in Babylon involves several key factors: Cats: Feral cats are the offspring of domestic cats that have not been socialized or domesticated. Cats in general are highly territorial and they will not roam very far from where they were born. Community: Feral cats are a community problem and likely occur because of neglect and miscommunication. When cats who are not spayed or neutered are allowed to be outdoors for long periods of time roaming a community, the likelihood of feral cats increases. The Town of Babylon's Department of Animal Control provides its community with several resources to curtail the feral cat population: • Supplies residents and caregivers state of the art traps for the TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) of the feral cats • Supplies low cost $35 TNR vouchers so there is no cost to the residents and caregivers • Hosts regular seminars on the TNR program Circumstances: Each colony of feral cats is unique, as are the dynamics and circumstances of the location. Feral cats also generally don't leave a community because of lack of food, on the contrary removing the food source will force the cats to roam further for food, cause them stress, and make them quite unhealthy. Communication: Civil communication between parties affected by feral cats is a key factor in resolving the inevitable differences caused by the presence of feral cats. The caregiver cannot assume that everyone has the same devotion to cats as they do. It helps in the longterm to acknowledge the caregivers right to provide proper care for the cats as well as understanding that some neighbors to not share the same devotion. If all neighbors communicate and share a common plan to solve the feral cat problem, results will be swifter and tangible. Cooperation: All people in a neighborhood are affected by feral cats; if the entire community works together to control the problem, results can be that much more swifter and tangible. Time: It takes time to control a feral cat problem in a neighborhood. Please be patient as the community and TOB representatives work together towards a common solution.