Concerns within the community arise following updated animal regulations

Local breeders shared their worries about the introduced ordinance.

Shamong residents filled the municipal building at Tuesday night’s committee meeting with concerns regarding what residents called a “local puppy mill.”

Following multiple concerns from resident Ernest Lazos about a resident possessing 73 dogs and holding them in unfit living conditions, the township introduced and passed an ordinance on first reading updating animal regulations.

The ordinance references the limitations, operations and prohibitions of breeders, kennels, pet shops, pounds and animal shelters.

The ordinance states, “The township has recently experienced a number of complaints with regards to animals and has determined that the existing provisions need to be expanded and updated in order to ensure safe and habitable conditions [for] animals and that the safety, health and welfare are ensured for all residents.”

If passed on second reading, any breeder, kennel, pet shop, pound or shelter operating a commercial dog-breeding facility must acquire a valid license after partaking in annual inspections.

A dog-breeding facility has been defined as a “facility with five or more breeding females” and licensees may not possess more than 50 sexually intact dogs that are six months of age or older for the primary purpose of reproduction.

In addition, female animals must be at least 12 months old before being bred and females should not birth more than six litters in a lifetime.

During public comment, Lazos spoke about the number of residents in attendance, stating many residents from the Shadow Lake community were unaware of the puppy mill’s existence until the information swarmed social media.

“We’re animal lovers, we have pets of our own and we wanted to make a difference. We didn’t think that this was right,” Lazos said. “We gotta worry about the humanity of these animals, we gotta worry about the quality of life for us and all the surrounding neighbors of Shadow Lake and Oakshade Road.”

Local breeders expressed worries of how these updated regulations could affect them personally.

Karen Froberg-Fejko, a veterinarian and golden retriever breeder, stated her concern these restrictions could interfere with responsible breeders in the community.

“We’re talking about one person here that we all agree, I don’t think anyone in this room would disagree, is doing something that’s not good for animals,” Froberg-Fejko said. “We all agree that they’re not being cared for well, they’re not receiving veterinary care.”

She proposed a solution to educate potential buyers of this puppy mill and encourage them to seek pets elsewhere with hopes that if you take away the buyers, the puppy mill will shut down.

The full ordinance containing information on license costs, inspections, restrictions and more, can be found on www.shamong.net, and the second reading will be held on Sept. 4.

In other news:

• Michelle Wells was honored by Deputy Mayor Timothy Gimbel at the Pine Barrens Festival “Focus on our Town” night for her involvement in Shamong EMS.
• A traffic study will be completed on the intersection of Willow Grove Road and Stokes Road, with the possibility of installing blinking stop signs after three accidents occured in one week.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building located at 105 Willow Grove Road in Shamong.