Muzzles for Aggressive Dogs Eyed in Maplewood

The Maplewood Department of Health asked the Township Committee at their meeting Tuesday night to consider an ordinance giving the department authority to order muzzles on aggressive dogs.

Health Officer Robert Roe (whose department is in charge of animal control in Maplewood) explained that Maplewood has situations from time to time where dogs are aggressive towards others dogs or people. The state has laws on the books under Title IV against “potentially dangerous” and “vicious” dogs, but the process of classifying a dog as such is not unlike a criminal trial, according to Roe, in which the burden of proof is on the township.

“We have gone to court in the past to [classify dogs as ‘dangerous’],” Roe said to Patch. “But there are other situations where maybe the dog isn’t as bad as state regulations but is a danger. The way to prevent that danger would be to have the dog wear a muzzle.”

Roe, a dog owner himself, said Maplewood has approximately 50 dog bites per year, some more serious than others.

“I adopted a grey hound who had been at the race track,” Roe said. “If you know anything about dog racing, they have to wear muzzles because they snap at each other when they’re running; it’s in their nature… When I got that dog, I muzzled it for a few months until it learned not to [snap].”

The proposed ordinance would not require muzzles on all dogs, just ones about which people file complaints.

Municipal Attorney Roger Desiderio said at the meeting that the township would have to research legal references on the issue to see if there is precedence for such a law.

When asked if the proposed ordinance was aimed at pit bulls or other oft-maligned breeds, Roe said his department has no specific breed in mind.

“I know pit bulls that are the nicest dogs you are ever going to see,” he said.

According to Roe, if a dog is classified as “potentially dangerous,” there are a number of regulations its owner must follow, including keeping it behind a six-foot fence when outside at home, buying special insurance, posting “Beware of Dog” signs and muzzling it when out for walks.

Any dog that is classified as “vicious” will be euthanized.

Roe said he sees this proposed ordinance as a lesser step, and one that could prevent the township from having to take legal action against dangerous or vicious dogs because of more easy-to-enact regulations before a dog hurts anyone.

“If a dog is found potentially dangerous, there are certainly a lot of expensive regulations to follow,” he said. “And I’m not sure what that quality of life is for the dog… I would see this as a sensible, reasonable step to prevent situations where dogs cause severe injuries.”

Owners of dogs about which people complain would be served notice from the town to keep their dog muzzled in public before any summons, according to Roe.

Roe said he expects the issues to be further discussed at the next Board of Health meeting during the Sept. 3 Township Committee meeting.