Council considers adding specific regulations in regard to lot size.
At this week’s Medford Council meeting, a draft ordinance was presented in regard to animal regulations.
Medford Township is working toward putting an ordinance in place regarding domestic animals after the arrest of Donna Roberts in Shamong. Medford Township has modeled its draft ordinance off of Shamong’s ordinance.
The ordinance in Shamong was passed after residents raised concerns with the township regarding Roberts and the suspicion she was treating dogs on her property poorly.
After the ordinance was passed, State Police found 44 deceased dogs on her property and more than 150 others that were alive but being kept in “substandard, inhumane conditions,” officials said.
Medford Township’s draft ordinance stated there would be no more than 15 dogs age 6 months and older allowed on one property, regardless of lot size.
Deputy Mayor Frank Czekay said he thinks allowing 15 dogs on one property is too high. Czekay said he would not want to live next to a house on a half-acre lot that has ownership of 15 dogs — to which Councilman Erik Rebstock agreed.
“If there’s a certain amount of dogs that are available to a half-acre lot or a two-acre lot or a 10-acre lot, I think that’s something we could take a look at,” Rebstock said. “Fifteen dogs on half an acre in a house like mine, that doesn’t work and I don’t want to live next door to that either, but if I’m living next door to a farm and they have 15 dogs, I don’t know if I would even know that.”
Czekay suggested lowering the number of dogs allowed on one property, saying, “My view would be reduce it down to five, I could live with 10, but 15, no I can’t live with that. I will not vote for it as it stands, absolutely not.”
Mayor Chuck Watson expressed his concerns for hobby breeders if the number was lowered and said he feels five dogs per property is too low.
Township Manager Kathy Burger said even 10 dogs could be too low of a regulation, giving an example of a resident she feels is a responsible dog downer who owns 11 dogs.
She said this particular owner lives on 7.5 acres of land, and the owner has all dogs up to date with rabies shots, registers her dogs and gets proper licensing for them.
Burger also mentioned a resident who at one point owned eight dogs on 0.55 acres of land who never received any complaints from neighbors.
The council decided to table the ordinance to make changes, possibly adding specific regulations for lot size.
The next regular council meeting will be held on March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Public Safety Building located at 91 Union St.
