When the inhabitants of any city, borough, town or township, or any part thereof, have suffered an excessive amount of damage by dogs to domestic animals, a petition may be presented to the secretary, signed by 20 or more of such residents who are owners of domestic animals, alleging such excessive damage and requesting that a quarantine be placed on all dogs within the limits of such city, borough, town or township, or such part thereof. Upon receipt of such petition, the secretary may, through his State dog wardens, have an investigation made of the facts alleged therein and, if convinced that conditions in such city, borough, town or township, or such designated area, demand such stringent measures, he may establish a dog control quarantine therein. When such quarantine is established, at least ten notices thereof shall be posted through the area affected thereby and notice thereof shall also be published in at least one issue of a newspaper of general circulation throughout such city, borough, town or township. It shall be unlawful for any person, residing in the area affected by such quarantine, to permit a dog, owned or harbored by him to run at large in such quarantined area, or to leave the premises where it is kept, unless accompanied by and under the control of himself or a handler. Any police officer or State dog warden may kill any dog running at large in a quarantined area, in violation of such quarantine, without any liability for damages for such killing.