Dogs bite people for many reasons and one of them is because they the owner is irresponsible. They are not keeping their pet from wandering around their neighborhood because either they have no fence to keep it in or it is in poor repair. Many people who own dogs have no business having them! They do not take responsible care of their pet and the public suffers.
Two New Jersey Legislators, Pam Lampitt and Benjie Wimberly, have proposed Assembly Bill 4385 that they think would strengthen protection from dog bites of large breed dogs. This is directly from the proposed bill: “The Legislature finds and declares that there is a need to focus attention on the behavior of, and safe interaction with, all dogs in the communities of the State; that children are at particular risk from confrontations with unrestrained dogs, due to the size of children in relation to many dogs, but also because of their innocence, inexperience, and emotional perceptions; that dog owners embrace their role as caretakers and trainers of their dogs and are likely to be the first to wish to curtail any negative interactions between themselves, their dogs, children, and any other members of the communities in which they live; and that any regulation of dog behavior must be implemented with consideration, forethought, and reasonableness for the good of both the public and dog owners in the State.”
What is the way to protect the public according to this proposed law; an eight foot high fence to keep your dog fenced in is their answer. Parts 3 and 4 of section 3 that address how your dog is controlled is a slippery slope that the State of New Jersey does not need; nor do the the existing rules need to be changed . This idea of a fence eight foot high or whatever is utter nonsense and does nothing to address the prevention of dog bites! Reality must rear its ugly head and say nay you legislators are going down the wrong path.
What is needed is education on what the dog owner should do and what the public needs to know/do. A good reference is this site, doggonesafeone.com, Bite Prevention Tips. Both the dog owner has responsibility to keep their dog under control at all times and the public must be aware of how to act around dogs. A second great reference is from the American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org), Dog Bite Prevention.
Maybe the two legislators should look at these sites and forget their dumb bill!
I happen to own a dog myself and he was adopted from a rescue group. He is very gentle and loves people. But I do have to say that I have a large amount of experience with this particular breed and know how to judge the temperament of this breed of dog. A few things should be pointed out. One, dogs are not hairy little people and should not be treated as such. Two, small breed dogs tend to bite more than their larger cousins. But remember any size dog can bite and do quite a lot of damage to the human body. So do take a look at the dog bite prevention tip links I have included for your own good. And lastly always ask if the dog’s owner if it is alright to pet their dog before doing so. It might be the best thing you could teach your children.
Please remember that dogs can be great pets, but you must be aware of your responsibilities and not be lax in doing them.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
