From $100 to $700 in Princeton
By Nick Norlen Staff Writer
With her dog Wonder by her side, Princeton Township resident Sue Tillett appeared before both the Township Committee and the Borough Council this week to speak in support of an ordinance – later passed unanimously by both boards – increasing the licensing fee for dogs deemed “potentially dangerous.”
She wasn’t alone.
Ms. Tillett, who is blind and gets around with the help of Wonder, her guide dog, was one of several borough and township residents who recounted experiences of attacks by dogs on themselves or their pets.
Their comments led to the possible formation of a task force to deal with such dog-related issues.
The ordinance passed in both municipalities increases the annual licensing fee for dogs that have attacked people or domestic animals without provocation from $100 to $700.
According to municipal officials, it will help cover some of the costs incurred when impounding the dogs involved in such cases.
Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand said Monday that she believes the new ordinance will also serve as a deterrent to owners who own dogs capable of such attacks.
“You can listen to other people’s stories, but until it happens to you, you really can’t understand the impact that it has,” said borough Resident Carol Yan, who witnessed her dog Katy killed by another dog.
Ms. Tillett said attacks on two of her previous guide dogs left her fearful of simply leaving the house.
“For a blind person, it’s absolutely terrifying to have your dog attacked. You can’t … protect your dog or yourself,” she said.
According to officials, the new ordinance will likely make it difficult for residents to keep dogs who have attacked animals or people.
But although she said she supports the ordinance, township resident Ruth Randall, whose dog Benji has been attacked by the same dogs twice, said causing people to remove the dog to other municipalities is “a very impolitic thing to do.”
Moreover, township resident Karen Gordon questioned whether the ordinance provides enough teeth for prevention.
“I’m not sure an increased fee will improve behavior,” she said.
But like Mayor Marchand, Councilman Andrew Koontz noted that the municipalities are limited by the state in how strict they can be with such laws.
However, Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman said that this ordinance allows action to be taken after just one report of an attack – rather than three.
Reporting the attack to the police is the key, Mr. Koontz said.
“We cannot take action until we know about an incident,” he said. “This ordinance is powerless without reporting.”
Suggested Tuesday was the creation of a registry of “potentially dangerous” dogs and their locations – a possibility that Assistant Borough Attorney Karen Cayci said she would explore.
For now, Ms. Tillett said the key issues are “round-the-clock enforcement and public education” – two areas that she said could be served by a new task force.
Committeeman Chad Goerner suggested that such a task force could provide those services, as well as acting as a lobby to the state in terms of its dog- related laws.
Township resident Virginia Kerr said the municipalities should also look into relaxing their leash laws, which requires dog owners to have their pets on a leash at all times.
Mr. Goerner, who said he has three large dogs, said the task force could address that issue as well.
“For those that own dogs, that don’t have the ability to let them out of their backyard, I think we do need to look at other alternatives,” he said. “With that being said, I think we need to balance that off with diligent enforcement of the laws that we do have in place.”
Princeton Health Officer David Henry said he will discuss the formation of the new task force at Tuesday’s Health Commission meeting.