Breed specific legislation in NJ
Senator Sharpe James, who is also Mayor of Newark, introduced the “Responsible Pit Bull Ownership Act” (S1718) late last week. This ridiculous piece of legislation would apply to breeds including “American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers and any dog determined to be a pit bull type.”
- It would, among other things:
- require anyone who owns a dog to prove that it ISN’T a pit bull (municipality will visually inspect the dog to determine whether it is a pit bull)
- require all pit bulls (as defined above) to be muzzled when off owner’s property and leashed (3-feet long or less)
- require confinement in a permanent enclosure (including a secure pen AND a 6-ft. fence)
Breed-specific legislation doesn’t work. It punishes responsible owners and is difficult (impossible?) to enforce where it is needed. NJ already has a law that prohibits determining a dog dangerous based on breed alone. S1718 would violate that law. Judge the deed not the breed.
Read more at AKC.org, then contact these members of the Senate committee to tell them you oppose S1718 and ask them to do the same:
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D) [Chair] (609/292-5339, SenLesniak@njleg.org)
Sen. Joseph Doria (D) [Vice Chair] (609/292-5388, no e-mail)
Sen. Martha Bark (R) (609/292-7065, senbark@njleg.org)
Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos (R) (609/292-7065, no e-mail)
Sen. Joseph Vitale (D) (609/292-5339, senvitale@njleg.org)
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