Jersey City neighbors ask couple to give up dogs after attacks

Parents and others in a neighborhood in Jersey City are calling for the owners of two aggressive African Boerbel dogs to remove the animals from the residential area, which is home to many families with young children. The dogs are implicated in three attacks in 2008 and 2009 that sent several area residents to the hospital.

The dogs were at risk for euthanization after the attacks, but the couple made a deal to keep them muzzled and move them out of the county.

The couple apparently agreed to move with the dogs to California but did not follow through. After authorities realized that the couple had not moved and that they were not complying with a court order to keep the dogs muzzled, they were brought back into court.

Many of the couple’s neighbors agree that the dogs are not being properly controlled. “There are kids all over the neighborhood,” a neighbor told reporters. “If you go off the history, I don’t think it’s a logical thing for them to have the dogs.”

In terms of New Jersey’s dog bite laws, the man is right that the history of the dog’s behavior does matter. Owners in New Jersey are liable for any damage that their dog causes, regardless of whether it was the result of their negligence or not. However, dogs with a history of attacking people or other pets or displaying aggression are at greater risk for being euthanized in the event of another attack.

One concerned neighborhood parent said that he didn’t blame the dogs, which were bred to fight lions in Africa. He said that the owners were irresponsible and that the dogs should be transferred to a living situation where they can be happy and not pose a threat to children.

Source: New Jersey Star Ledger, “Neighbors: Don’t give couple dogs back after attacks,” Brendan Kuty, Oct. 22, 2012.