By VASHTI HARRIS
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — Every pet owner’s worst nightmare is losing their pet, and not knowing what to do after their four-legged friend goes missing can make the experience even more horrifying.
Therefore, East Brunswick Councilwoman Denise Contrino helped propose an ordinance which seeks to amend the township’s original pet policy, due to its lack of clear procedural information if a pet goes missing.
A pet owner herself, Contrino led the development in pushing for a better pet policy for the township. After her proposed ordinance was passed on Nov. 14, the council officially approved it on Nov. 28.
The new ordinance will officially take effect on Dec. 22.
“There are two different things that we changed. [First] there’s the standard operating procedure for the police and animal control officers, and then there is the township ordinance,” Contrino said.
Contrino said she wanted a clearly written policy with procedures for everyone to follow so that there would be no discrepancies.
“So, the standard operating procedures is the first thing that I did that says when you retrieve an animal that’s lost, you scan it for their chip, you check it for tags, you take a picture of it and post it on the police department Facebook page, so that people can share, because 100 percent of the animals I have shared on my Facebook page have been reunited with their owners.”
She said that residents tend to reach out to her because of her passion for reuniting animals with her owners, so this was a goal of hers before her council term ends on Dec. 31.
“I have always had a dog. My dog is chipped, my dog is licensed, my dog has three different tags on her collar, so God forbid if she even gets out, I want her back as quickly as possible, and I assume that other pet owners feel the same way about their animals,” she said.
To help make police and animal control officers’ jobs easier, Contrino said there are a few things pet owners can do to help the process go faster and smoother.
“The first thing they need to do before their pet is lost is to chip it, so you take it to a vet, it’s not painful, they put it behind the dog’s neck and you go online and register the chip number,” Contrino said. “Once you register your dog’s chip you put in your contact information and a picture of the dog, so that when an animal control officer scans it, it will come up and they will be able to reach you to get your dog back to you.
“You should also make sure you license your pet, so get a tag from Petco or PetSmart that has your name and your phone number on it and make sure it’s on the dog’s collar and that they’re wearing their collar,” she continued. “Then call the police department’s nonemergency number and give a description of your pet, your address and feel free to drop off a photo of your lost pet. If you find a lost animal, call the police department’s nonemergency number.”
For more information about East Brunswick Animal Control, visit eastbrunswick.org/content/204/299 and click on the Animal Control tab.
To make a nonemergency call about a lost pet or any other situation that does not require immediate police assistance, call 732-390-6900.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].