An expansive
new dog law
governing canine ownership and control in the borough will be publicly
considered on Tuesday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the New Hope community
room on New Street.
Calls for stronger regulation of dog ownership began in earnest at a
New Hope Borough Council meeting in August 2015, where Riverwoods residents Keith and Denice Horlacher recounted the horror of seeing their pet Maltese
killed by a large off-leash dog some two weeks earlier.
Since that time, borough council and their lawyer have worked on a
set of new rules to more specifically govern dog ownership in New Hope, with eye toward avoiding future incidents involving “dangerous” dogs.
Many rules contained in the law mirror those of the state, like those
mandating licensing, vaccination, and avoiding inhumane conditions. But
while few question the intent of the proposed law, some elements are
being quietly debated among pet owners and other residents, like those
permitting individuals to confront dogs with deadly force if they feel
threatened, and prohibiting use of electric fences, extension leashes,
and tethering of any type.
One area of the proposed law that appears to be breaking new legal
and animal behavior ground is the section entitled, “Responsible Dog
Ownership; Socialization of Dogs.”
That section begins, “It is the duty of every owner to socialize his
or her dog to ensure that the dog has the proper mental and social
development, during all stages of the dog’s life. Proper dog
socialization means exposure to the world the dog will be a part of in a
safe manner with rules and guidelines, learning to be calm when the
outside world is stimulating, and learning to respond to signals when
that is what the dog does not want to do.”
The section goes on to say that New Hope residents cannot buy or
adopt dogs over the age of six months “without first securing
information as to the dog’s level of socialization…from a certified
applied animal behaviorist, a board-certified veterinarian or other
trained and experienced animal behavior expert.”
Should a given dog prove “not properly socialized” or its “level of
socialization cannot be determined,” the proposed law requires owners to
spay/neuter and microchip their pet, and possibly pay for the animal to
undergo training with a behaviorist, vet or other professional and
muzzle the dog in public.
So, what do the experts tasked by New Hope Borough Council with
determining and modifying levels of canine “socialization” think of the
borough’s attempt to define and regulate dog behavior?
“It is hard not to find elements of the proposed law contentious or
downright ridiculous,” said Wendy J. Whitelam, BS, CPCT-KA, ABC-L2, CGC
Evaluator, and ABC Mentor at the
Pet Campus in Pineville.
“The death of [the Horlacher’s pet] Sobe was horrible and very
tragic,” she said. “Unfortunately, those involved have overreacted
beyond rational thought or any true understanding of dogs and their
behavior. Dogs are animals, and not little people. They are loved as
family members, and provide an addicting unconditional love that helps
skew our vision of their animal nature.
“The most significant topic about anything ‘dog’ is attempting to
guarantee behavior,” Whitelam continued. “You’d have to be God to attest
to future animal behavior. Sadly, there are plenty of puppies who have
been to puppy class and been raised by well-meaning owners who did all
the right things, and yet the dogs have bitten or have had aggression
issues as adults. There are plenty of other dogs who were totally
neglected as puppies, and given no opportunities to socialize, and they
were adopted by caring humans who uncovered a super social, kind,
fabulous pet.
“Genetics,
diet, training methods, base temperament, medications, hormones, and
illness are all factors that affect behavior,” explained Whitelam.
“Given all that, it would be difficult to adopt an adult dog with any
type of assurance that the dog had been well-socialized. Puppies that
end up in pet stores are born in small cages on wire mesh, barely see
humans until they are removed from their mother much too soon for
appropriate social development, shipped to a store where they are again
in cages with little to no human contact. How would anyone attest to
that puppy being well-socialized?”
Added Whitelam, “The topic of socialization itself is frequently
misunderstood by most dog owners. Just getting the puppy/new dog out in
the world is not socializing. Socializing a dog requires that new
experiences be positive and rewarding. It only takes one negative
experience for a new puppy to develop a lasting fear.”
Nikki Thompson, chief humane officer at the
Bucks County SPCA,
said that every dog there is evaluated for temperament, but agreed
that, “There is no one recognized method of evaluating a dog.”
Observed Thompson of New Hope’s proposed law, “The intent seems good
with what they’re trying to do with socialization, but it would be
difficult to enforce. What a dog does in different situations is always
unpredictable. They may behave well at the vet’s, and then you go home
and have an issue.
“I’ve been in animal control for many years,” continued Thompson,
“And I could not be 100% certain a given dog is 100% socialized.”
In terms of the potential effect on adoption efforts that requiring
dog owners to obtain proof of socialization could have, “We don’t know
yet,” said Thompson.
Lambertville Animal Welfare
Co-Founder Heather Edwards is an expert dog trainer, and she is
concerned that requiring adopted dogs to come with a socialization
report will have a chilling effect on efforts by rescue groups and
shelters.
“What are the measurable and observable behaviors of the dog which
would allow you to determine its level of socialization?” she asked.
“The American Kennel Club has a ‘Canine Good Citizen’ test to show that a
pet dog is well-behaved and has basic training. The dog must meet
specific criteria for components such as accepting a friendly stranger,
walking through a crowd, and meeting other dogs. Without some very
specific guidelines like those, it’s not clear what criteria will be
applied to determine if a dog has been ‘properly socialized’.
“These criteria are WAY more stringent than those that might just be
intended to determine if a dog may pose a danger to people or other
animals,” Edwards continued.
“Rescue groups and shelters will not be able to write a report on the
dog’s level of socialization and make recommendations for socializing
the dog,” she said. “Most rescue workers are volunteers, and few rescue
and shelter staff are expert dog trainers. The expense of having an
expert assess each dog would be completely unaffordable and impractical
for most groups.”
And that’s not all, according to Edwards. “Because almost all adopted
or purchased dogs will not come with the required proof of
socialization, effectively all dogs will be required to be
spayed/neutered and microchipped, and muzzled or trained. The vast
majority of these dogs will be lovely family pets posing no danger to
anyone,” she said.
“It seems like they really need to think this through better and
decide what specific behavior they are really trying to address,”
concluded Edwards.
John Marcus, VMD at
New Hope Veterinary Hospital and
Evercare Veterinary Crematory Services,
commented, “After much thought, I agree that encouraging and advocating
‘responsible dog ownership’ is important to our community. That being
said, however, I believe it is critical that common sense be the guiding
factor here, and for all New Hope residents to recognize the simple
fact that dogs are animals, and thus, about as predictable as the
weather.
“In fact, 50% of animals entering animal shelters across our country
are being killed for no reason other than a lack of space, and I am
proud to live in a community that up until now, has always felt
progressive about animal adoption and fostering,” continued Marcus.
“Dissuading people from fostering and/or adopting will only result in
people acquiring pets from other sources, namely pet stores and puppy
mills. Evaluations performed at shelters/rescues are limited, often by
uneducated staff, and represent a snapshot of a dog’s behavior in a
highly stressful environment.
“In other words, they are practically meaningless and certainly don’t
guarantee the ‘proper mental and social development’ of any dog,
regardless of who signs off on it,” Marcus added. “Furthermore, to say
that no person shall take or accept a dog that is over the age of six
months is completely arbitrary as, in my experience, most dogs don’t
develop their personalities until much later in life.”
Concluded Marcus, “Please understand that I feel terrible for the
family who experienced the traumatic event with their beloved pet last
year. It is heartbreaking, but I don’t believe the answer to preventing
something like that from happening again is ambiguous legislation and
ticketing. How about some community programs or resources geared towards
education?”
Whitelam agreed. “Educating dog owners and creating opportunities for
them to get help with a loved family pet seems to me a whole lot more
humane and sensible,” she said.
