Robert Hage of Burd Street asked officials to restrict canine attendance at the event
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
At the urging of a borough resident, Pennington Borough Council is considering banning dogs from Pennington Day in the future.
An incident that took place at the annual street fair on May 17 spurred Robert Hage of Burd Street to ask officials once again to restrict canine attendance at the event.
”I am here once again to implore you to take immediate, decisive action to protect our children by restricting dog attendance at Pennington Day and other Pennington Recreation-sponsored festival events,” said Mr. Hage, who has discussed the matter with council several times during the past year.
During this year’s fair, a 7-year-old boy was bitten by a dog in an unprovoked “attack,” according to officials. The boy was not seriously hurt, but his skin was broken by the bite. The Pennington First Aid Squad treated the boy at the scene, Council President Weed Tucker said Tuesday.
Squad personnel did not take the boy to the hospital, but they did recommend that the boy’s mother take him in for a tetanus shot right away, Mr. Tucker added.
Public Safety Director Bill Meytrott said the incident occurred on South Main Street near Academy Street, when the boy was chasing a balloon. The dog also went after the balloon and then bit the boy on the forearm.
Mr. Hage read a written statement that impressed council members. “Your points are very well-taken,” Mr. Tucker said. “The clear message is that the Pennington Day Committee, in all its advance publicity, should say dogs are not permitted” at Pennington Day was the initial reaction of Councilman Thomas Ogren to the Hage statement.
Councilman Glen Griffiths agreed the number of dogs at the day at least had to be curtailed by making some sort of effort in that direction. He said that — even if an ordinance to that effect were difficult to enforce — it would at least significantly reduce the number of dogs during the event.
Mr. Hage said “education” was an issue, and that, over time, people would learn of the ban and comply with it voluntarily.
Mr. Hage said the boy who was bitten, whose name he did not provide, attended Pennington Day “with the expectation of having a fun-filled day, but instead a dog bit him on his forearm and left him and his mother shaken. Fortunately, he was not significantly injured.
”However, research indicates that a person who has been bitten by a dog, even a minor bite, may develop post traumatic stress disorder, emotional problems, and a fear of dogs. His mother told me that she and her family will probably not attend future Pennington Day or other Pennington Recreation-sponsored events due to her fear of another possible dog assault on her family. How sad! And what if this accident involved a more serious bite to this boy? It is likely the council would decide now to restrict dog attendance at Pennington Day and all Pennington Recreation-sponsored events! Let’s not wait for an even more tragic occurrence before the council makes this necessary change.”
Councilwoman Catherine Chandler agreed that Mr. Hage had brought up a legitimate issue. “I don’t know why people bring dogs to Pennington Day. It doesn’t make sense to me,” she said, shaking her head with weary incredulity as the council meeting ground to the end of its fourth hour Monday night.
She said she has repeatedly been concerned, and amazed, to see “very large dogs” being held on a leash “by very small children” at the Pennington Day dog show, which Mr. Hage urged council to consider prohibiting.
Ms. Chandler, Joe Lawver and other council members admitted they were befuddled by the “bring the dog” culture that is prevalent in these parts. Ms. Chandler said that when she goes to her daughter’s soccer games, a regular event is encountering people with dogs on leashes “growling at one another” and in general acting in ways that seemed in conformity with Mr. Hage’s position.
During much of the time he was listening to Mr. Hage’s statement, which took several minutes to read, Director Meytrott was nodding in a pronounced-looking affirmative.
Mr. Hage said he has researched the issue extensively and learned that the most common dog bite victims are young children. He added that dog bite injuries are the third leading cause of emergency admission of children to hospitals and that:
— The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years;
— Most dog bite injuries for young children are to the head or neck region;
— Dogs are most likely to attack in unfamiliar, crowded, noisy, chaotic places with children. In other words – street festivals and concerts.
Mr. Hage then described his own Pennington Day travels this year: “I saw many dogs walking with their tails down between their legs, a clear indication the dog was stressed and not happy . . . I was entangled twice by dog leashes. Two dogs, very close to one another, were loudly growling and acting aggressively toward each other. Many dogs were not being responsibly monitored by an adult as evident by many young children holding the leash and walking their dogs. Few of these children, and some adults for that matter, could adequately intervene if their dog attacked someone.”
Councilman Griffiths agreed with Mr. Hage’s point that not making a change could result in “a good dog” being “put to sleep.” Mr. Hage said he was sure that “all the dogs being brought to Pennington Day are good dogs.” He said their owners wouldn’t bring them otherwise. The problem is that the environment of the event is liable to provoke a good dog to aggressive behavior that could result in enforcement requiring euthanasia of the dog among other things.
Councilman Lawver questioned whether it was necessary to ban the dog show. Based on his own observations, he believes most of the dogs are brought to and from the show by car. “The dogs are in costumes” as are the children who sometimes hold the dogs’ leashes during the show, he said.
A dog ban could also apply to other public events in the borough that gather crowds, such as outdoor concerts. The council’s Public Safety Committee, which is chaired by Mr. Tucker and includes Director Meytrott, will study what measures neighboring towns have on banning dogs from public events such as street fairs and concert. The committee will report back to the full Borough Council.
The ban could come in the form of an ordinance. A fairness aspect of trying to go that route, Councilman Griffiths noted, is that it would give opponents of a dog ban a chance to speak. State law requires that a public hearing be held before an adoption vote on any municipal ordinance.
If an ordinance were not used, the ban would probably have to be publicized and maintained by the Pennington Day Committee, Mr. Tucker said.