KEARNY –
One dog was put down and another was put “on probation” after they reportedly mauled two kittens in a residential yard in Kearny.
William Pettigrew, a municipal public health investigator, said the incident triggering the enforcement action happened Saturday, April 4, in a yard at the corner of Maple St. and Archibald Terrace.
Pettigrew said the dogs, both German Shorthaired Pointers, one male and the other female, reportedly accessed the yard through a driveway and attacked the kittens.
According to Pettigrew, the dogs’ Maple St. owner – who had four dogs at the time of the incident – had been previously fined several times for allowing dogs to run at large, “but this was the last straw.”
Following the April tragedy, the owner – whom Pettigrew declined to name – was issued three complaints: one from Kearny PD for dogs running at large, one from the Bergen County Animal Control officer for potentially dangerous dogs and one from Pettigrew for dogs at large/third offense for one of the dogs.
At the same time, the owner was ordered to quarantine the dogs for 10 days at home but, according to Pettigrew, he failed to comply with that directive so he was issued an additional summons for that on April 9, at which point, the BCAC officers removed both dogs from the residence and placed them temporarily in the custody of the Bergen County Animal Shelter.
On April 30, the Kearny Municipal Court approved a settlement that called for the dogs’ owner to:
• Child-proof the windows in his house to prevent his other dogs from exiting.
• Surrender the offending male dog to the Bergen County Animal Shelter to be destroyed.
• Leash and muzzle the offending female dog when leaving the residence or, if the dog escapes, relinquish ownership to the BCAC officer.
• In the case of a second escape, enter a guilty plea to a dog at large infraction/ third offense and pay a $500 fine and plead guilty to a failure to confine violation and pay a $500 fine.
– Ron Leir
