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Date Posted: 15:33:29 12/19/02 Thu
Author: Karen
Subject: Update on NJ - Dec 19

Emails to all legislators follows - __________________________________________________
Thank you for your email to my office regarding my bill A2906, "Responsible
Pit Bull Ownership Licensing Act."

An increasing body of anecdotal evidence indicates that more and more New
Jersey communities are encountering instances in which dangerous and vicious
dogs attack, maul, or even kill unarmed and unwary citizens.

Victims have included children and the elderly. In several instances, the
attacking dogs turned on their owners or their families. In other cases,
police have had to intervene by shooting dogs that have threatened -- even
chased -- residents in their neighborhoods.

These incidents of canine terror have occurred in all regions of the state.
And while they do not constitute an epidemic, they point to an alarming
trend that can no longer be ignored by municipal officials and state policy
makers.

It is becoming painfully obvious that New Jersey's dog ownership laws need
to be reevaluated and changed to deal with the alarming reality of strong,
potentially vicious dogs being kept by individuals who are ill-prepared or
ill-suited for such a demanding responsibility.

The need for such action was most recently demonstrated by the fatal mauling
of an elderly grandmother in Garfield, Bergen County. Julia Mazziotto, 80,
died on December 9 in the home where she had lived for 50 years, her body
riddled with deep cuts after being repeatedly clawed and bitten by her
granddaughter's two pit bulls. An autopsy revealed the victim suffered an
extreme loss of blood after her scalp, back and neck were torn apart in the
vicious attack.

While the Garfield dog-attack may have been the most horrific, there have
been dozens of other cases in other New Jersey communities.

On two separate occasions this fall, police in Bridgeton had to shoot pit
bulls that had threatened officers and residents. Also this fall, a
10-year-old Salem girl needed 20 stitches to close bites from her thigh to
her ankle after she was knocked to the ground by two pit bulls that were
allowed to roam free in her neighborhood. And in Willingboro, a middle-aged
couple was suddenly attacked by two pit bulls they had owned for several
months. The husband was bitten so severely he had to be

admitted to intensive care at a South Jersey hospital.

It's unclear what may have triggered these incidents. But the reasons for
these attacks hardly matter. The real issue is how they add up to an
undeniable, oft-repeated pattern, one that calls into question whether the
state's dog-ownership laws ensure the public's safety when big, powerful
dogs are kept in the wrong environment or are possessed by irresponsible
individuals.

In New Jersey, the time has come to abandon the notion that everybody has
the wherewithal, time, and temperament to care for a challenging breed such
as a pit bull.

Responding to the wave of dog mauling incidents, I recently crafted
legislation that would better enable municipalities to regulate potentially
lethal dogs before they attack anyone.

My bill (A-2906) would allow local governing bodies to enact public safety
ordinances requiring that special licenses be issued for individuals who
seek to own, keep, or harbor pit bulls, pit-bull-type dogs, or Rottweilers.
According to a recent study by the Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association, pit bulls and Rottweilers account for more than 60
percent of all deaths resulting from dog attacks.

My legislation would restrict criminals, minors, and convicted animal
abusers from owning such potentially dangerous dogs. It also would enable
municipalities to prescribe standards for the restraint, housing and care of
these dogs.

For example, pit bull owners would need to display warning signs on the
premises where their dogs are kept. The dogs could run loose only in
well-constructed, municipally inspected fenced-in areas. To take the dog
off-premises, owners would need to securely muzzle and leash their animals.

Violators would risk license suspension or revocation and fines up to $1,000
for each day they are in violation. The bill also would enable
municipalities to seize and impound ferocious dogs that are not being
properly kept by owners.

Current dog owners would be protected through a grandfather clause in the
bill. Finally, municipalities could waive the licensing requirements and
one-time registration fee for owners who complete a recognized
obedience-training program with their dogs.


This bill would not empower municipalities to enact breed-specific dog bans.
In fact, only communities where local law enforcement authorities have
documented a problem to exist could employ the bill's special licensing and
ownership standards.

Unlike breed-specific laws enacted in other states, this measure sets a new
regulatory model for controlling problem dogs. The intent here is to give
local authorities a new tool to ensure that ill-tempered, immature,
incapable, or uncaring individuals do not own potentially lethal dogs.

This bill respects the fact that pit bulls, pit-bull-type dogs, and
Rottweilers can make very good pets. Moreover, this measure does not impose
draconian restrictions, like limits on how far an owner and dog may walk
from their home. Nor does it allow municipalities to enact outrageous
regulations that might otherwise discourage dog ownership.

This is a public safety initiative, a preemptive strike against the wave of
dog violence that has generated alarming headlines in recent months.

This measure seeks to save lives by fostering responsible ownership of the
breeds that are most likely to cause human deaths. In the most densely
populated state in the country, this bill recognizes that some people are
not suited to be every dog's best friend.

Sincerely,
Assemblyman John J. Burzichelli

______________________________________________________

SenAdler@njleg.org; SenAllen@njleg.org; SenBaer@njleg.org;
SenBagger@njleg.org; SenBark@njleg.org; SenBennett@njleg.org;
SenBryant@njleg.org; SenBucco@njleg.org; SenBuono@njleg.org;
SenCafiero@njleg.org; SenCardinale@njleg.org; SenCharles@njleg.org;
SenCiesla@njleg.org; SenCodey@njleg.org; SenConiglio@njleg.org;
SenFurnari@njleg.org; SenGirgenti@njleg.org; SenGormley@njleg.org;
SenInverso@njleg.org; SenKavanaugh@njleg.org; SenLance@njleg.org;
SenLesniak@njleg.org; SenLittell@njleg.org; SenMartin@njleg.org;
SenMatheussen@njleg.org; SenPalaia@njleg.org; SenSacco@njleg.org;
SenSuliga@njleg.org; SenSweeney@njleg.org; SenTurner@njleg.org;
SenVitale@njleg.org; AsmAhearn@njleg.org; AsmArnone@njleg.org;
AsmAsselta@njleg.org; AsmAzzolina@njleg.org; AsmBarnes@njleg.org;
AsmBateman@njleg.org; AsmBiondi@njleg.org; AsmBlee@njleg.org;
AsmBodine@njleg.org; AsmBurzichelli@njleg.org; AsmCarroll@njleg.org;
AsmChatzidakis@njleg.org; AsmChivukula@njleg.org; AsmConaway@njleg.org;
AsmConners@njleg.org; AsmCorodemus@njleg.org; AswCruz-Perez@njleg.org;
AsmCryan@njleg.org; AsmD'Amato@njleg.org; AsmDeCroce@njleg.org;
AsmDiGaetano@njleg.org; AsmDiegnan@njleg.org; AsmDoherty@njleg.org;
AsmEagler@njleg.org; AsmEdwards@njleg.org; AsmEgan@njleg.org;
AswFarragher@njleg.org; AsmFisher@njleg.org; AsmFraguela@njleg.org;
AswFriscia@njleg.org; AsmGarrett@njleg.org; AsmGeist@njleg.org;
AswGreenstein@njleg.org; AsmGreenwald@njleg.org; AsmGregg@njleg.org;
AsmGuear@njleg.org; AsmGusciora@njleg.org; reednj15@aol.com; AsmHackett
@njleg.org; AswHeck@njleg.org; AsmHolzapfel@njleg.org; AsmJohnson@njleg.org;
AsmKean@njleg.org; AsmMcKeon@njleg.org; AsmMerkt@njleg.org;
AsmMunoz@njleg.org; AswMyers@njleg.org; AsmOToole@njleg.org;
AsmPayne@njleg.org; AsmPennacchio@njleg.org; AswPou@njleg.org;
AswPrevite@njleg.org; AswQuigley@njleg.org; AsmRoberts@njleg.org;
AsmRooney@njleg.org; AsmSarlo@njleg.org; AsmRSmith@njleg.org;
AsmSteele@njleg.org; AswStender@njleg.org; AsmThompson@njleg.org;
AsmTucker@njleg.org; AsmVanDrew@njleg.org; AswWatsonColeman@njleg.org;
AswWeinberg@njleg.org; AsmWisniewski@njleg.org; AsmWolfe@njleg.org;
AswPerezCinciarelli@njleg.org

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