Penns Grove Borough, NJ: Residents push tighter pit bull regulations
Posted on February 2, 2010 by http://www.stopbsl.com/

Penns Grove Borough Council meetings take place on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall.

BOROUGH OF PENNS GROVE
A Small Business Administration HUBZone
West Main & State Streets, P.O. Box 527, Penns Grove, NJ 08069
FAX 856-299-3411

MAYOR – John Washington 856-299-6696
BOROUGH CLERK Sharon Williams 856-299-0098
BOROUGH COUNCIL (may be outdated–missing info for council member Carol Mincey)
Tami Baytops 856-299-2124
John Scarpaci 856-299-5773
Deborah A. Scott 856-299-7084
James Venello 856-299-3029
Clifford Poindexter 856-299-5666
Mary Kay James 856-299-3311

Thanks to Jodi for this article…

http://www.nj.com/sunbeam/index.ssf?...100.xml&coll=9

Penns Grove residents push tighter pit bull regulations

Sunday, January 24, 2010
By Phil Dunn
pdunn@sjnewsco.com

PENNS GROVE – At the last Penns Grove Borough Council meeting, residents here called out for pit bull owners to keep their dogs properly leashed and under control.

The issue was sparked after Councilwoman Carol Mincey pointed out the number of uncontrollable dogs present at this year’s animal registration.

Residents of the borough also brought up concerns during the public portion of the meeting.

“I do a lot of work outside rehabbing properties in the town and on numerous occasions I have been chased by pit bulls,” said Casey Karmer.

Karmer thought the issue was self-evident at this year’s animal registration.

“It happens quite often and it’s a dangerous situation for every citizen,” said Karmer. “Carol Mincey was out at an official borough event and she felt like she was being threatened by these dogs.”

Karmer had no sympathy for the breed whatsoever.

“Whether they are on a leash or not they are attack dogs. That’s the only reason to have a pit bull and I’m sensitive because my father was attacked by two pit bulls a couple years ago,” she said.

The attack did not happen in Penns Grove, but Karmer was worried the same kind of incident could happen here.

Mayor John Washington felt the issue was not as serious as some of the residents were making it out to be, but wanted to help any way he could.

“I don’t see that many pit bulls around,” said Washington. “I hear stories but maybe it’s just a couple isolated incidents.”

Washington said most of the pit bulls that he sees are trained and leashed and the owners are going through the proper procedures.

“The one resident said he saw dogs running loose,” said Washington. “If you see them, report it. That way we can get somebody out there right away to deal with the situation.”

Another resident who spoke at the meeting was Penns Grove resident Adele Stalcup, who owns a pit bull.

“The problem that I see consistent is that people have multiple pit bulls,” said Stalcup. “They can go from playing to fighting just like that. It’s the temperament of the breed.”

Her idea was to put additional regulations on breeding pit bulls and/or increase license fees for the breed.

“My suggestion would be to consider a special ordinance that pertains to that specific breed,” said Stalcup. “It’s not the dogs, but the people who own them.”

The borough does have an ordinance that states dogs must be leashed.

“We can have laws that say your dog has to be on a leash, but I don’t think the law allows us to say what animals you can and can’t have,” said Washington. “You can’t tell a resident that they can’t have a pit bull.”

Residents said they would talk with the mayor to help pinpoint the source of the problems.

“What we need to do is find out where these dogs are living,” said Washington. “Sometimes a knock at the door will help sort these kinds of situations out.”


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