Shamong Township animal ordinance concerns come to a close

Newly implemented animal regulations are now in place.

Changes to the animal ordinance were passed on second reading at last week’s committee meeting.

Concerns were first raised by Ernest Lazos regarding a neighbor, Donna Roberts, who was holding 73 dogs on her property.

He has previously shared claims of the dogs crying throughout the night, and his attempts to resolve this issue led him to the township.

“I want to thank everybody that’s met with us, called or emailed and given us their suggestions and their comments,” Mayor Michael Di Croce said. “We have taken a lot of what you’ve indicated to us and we think we’ve come up with the right balance.”

He stated the committee has been trying to address an issue so that community members can continue in their business and also conduct themselves in a proper way so they are not negatively impacting neighbors on adjoining properties.

At last month’s meeting, discussion revolved around ordinance changes. Last month, Doug Heinold, township solicitor, said if someone has zero to 14 dogs, there will be no new regulations impacting them. If they have 15 dogs, they have to register with the township and comply with inspections. There are initial inspections that everyone would undergo, and if they fail, they would be subject to additional inspections. He clarified at the November meeting that the 15 dogs is in regard to adult dogs only (more than 6 months old), and that people with litters of puppies may exceed that number.

Inspections will also be required if complaints are made. There is a fee associated with each inspection, except in an instance where a complaint is made and no issues are found.

As presented in the ordinance, the number of 15 dogs has been selected as a per property number, not per person.

Heinold said the base fee for licensing was raised from $10 per dog to $12 per dog, and there will be an additional fee of $3 if the dog is not spayed or neutered. There is an exception for service dogs, which are required to be licensed, but they do not have to pay a fee.

There is additional language in the ordinance stating there is a cap at 25 dogs in a non-commercial zone. There are currently no commercial zones in Shamong; however, if someone wanted to obtain more than 25 dogs they would have to gain commercial-related approval.

Heinold also clarified at this month’s meeting the ordinance is solely regarding dogs and no other animals.

There will be 60 days for residents to meet these newly implemented regulations. The full ordinance can be found on www.shamong.net.

In other news:

• Dr. Gordon Schull was recognized for more than 25 years of volunteer veterinary services.

The next meeting on will be held on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building.