RED BANK – Pets certainly deserve our protection and Red Bank’s mayor is making that a priority, winning support from Sen. Jennifer Beck. “There has to be a recognition that we owe a special responsibility to pets,” said Mayor Pasquale Menna, a longtime dog owner, referencing some steps the borough has taken recently to ensure greater protection for pets and animals and to shore up penalties for those who don’t adhere to their responsibilities. “They’re not toys; it’s a lifetime commitment, that continues after the cuteness of the puppy stage is over,” Menna continued, speaking of pet owners’ responsibilities.
The borough council had adopted an ordinance at its March 11 meeting that puts in place stricter requirements – including limiting tethering a dog to no more than seven hours in a 24- hour period and prohibiting tethering during unduly hot and cold temperatures or inclement weather among other restrictions – and sterner penalties for dog owners who keep their pets tethered for long periods. The ordinance also requires any driver who injures an animal to immediately stop, provide assistance and contact the police to report it.
A conviction for violating the ordinance has fines ranging upward of $1,000, according to the ordinance.
Menna, a lawyer who has worked as a prosecutor in a number of municipalities for many years, has found, “penalties for animal cruelty are woefully insufficient.”
Those who do commit acts of animal cruelty have a fairly high rate of recidivism and can be inclined toward “transferring a lot of that aggression onto humans,” numerous studies have indicated, he pointed out.
“It’s a social problem that has to be nipped in the bud,” Menna said.
Menna noted during the March 19-20 snowstorm a dog owner kept the pet out on a short leash for hours during the storm. That may not have been animal cruelty under state statute. But, “Is that a violation of the tethering law? Yes it is,” the mayor asked and answered.
The council is now considering an ordinance that would place additional requirements on pet stores and breeders to protect the animals and customers. There hasn’t been any concerns with how the borough’s one pet shop has operated, “But I think it’s the responsible thing to do,” the mayor said.
The council last year took another step in support of animals with the adoption of resolution asking state legislators to endorse a plan that could save some cats and dogs used in medical research. The resolution was inspired by a Minnesota law allowing healthy animals used in research to be placed up for adoption, instead of being largely euthanize, as has been the practice.
Red Bank was the first municipality in the state to pass the resolution and since then 30 others have joined in, according to Menna.
And Sen. Beck, (R-11), a borough resident and former councilwoman, has heard the call and offered her support.
Beck has introduced a bill in the Senate dovetailing off the Red Bank resolution based upon her conversation with Menna, the senator said.
“This will reinforce that our society and community in New Jersey would like to see these animals find a loving home,” Beck said.
Beck, who said “I am truly an animal lover,” has another bill in committee presently, commonly called “Cheyenne’s Bill,” that would require mental health evaluations for those older than 18, charged and convicted of animal abuse and the results would be in a state attorney general’s database. State law mandates only for minors but not for adults.
This bill was in response to an animal trainer charged with abusing animals in his care, according to Beck.
Menna last year advocated for and council approved a measure to have what was called the “Dog Days of Summer” – closing the eastern end of Monmouth Street to vehicular traffic one weekday evening a week, allowing owners to walk freely with their leashed pets. Many non-food businesses on the street cooperated and permitted the two- and four-legged customers the run of the space, often offering treats for the pet.
He hopes to again have a designated night to do it this summer and he would like to see more businesses follow suit. Menna would like to have restaurants and other food establishments eventually permitted to allow well-behaved pets on premises – a common practice in European cities, he said.
State statute has long prohibited non-service animals from retail and wholesale food establishments, for health and safety concerns, according to David Henry health officer for the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission.
Menna, on the other hand, contended that approach is “antiquated” and will hopefully be revisited.
If he had been asked about 14 years ago if he was an “animal lover,” Menna suspected his answer would have been not really. But now, having had 14 years with Bella, his pet yellow lab who died in January, he acknowledged his answer is different.
“The more time you spend with animals,” he maintained, “the more you wish a lot more people were like animals.”
— By John Burton
