Dogs' families to appear in municipal court Feb. 20

[TribalRats]

Dogs' families to appear in municipal court Feb. 20
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

MILLSTONE - The fate of two dogs that killed another dog in the township lies in the hands of the municipal court.

Two pit bulls owned by Kristopher Taglianetti, of 4 Oak Hill Drive, killed a neighbor's 5-month-old schnoodle at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 when the puppy, owned by the Barbaruolo family at 5 Oak Hill Drive, ran away from one of its owners and onto Taglianetti's property. Taglianetti's dogs were kept on his property by an invisible fence, which operates like an electric fence to keep the animals in the yard. He was not home at the time of the incident.

When Taglianetti returned home, Animal Control Officer Mary Klink seized his dogs and transported them to the Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey Township, where they will continue to be held until the issue is heard in municipal court. Klink described the animals as neutered male pit bulls weighing approximately 70 pounds and 150 pounds.

Kathleen Stryeski, of the Cream Ridge Pet Care Center in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold, performed an autopsy on Max, the Barbaruolos' dog. In her report, Stryeski wrote that the cause of death was trauma of the chest cavity due to multiple bite wounds and lacerations to the chest wall.

"The bite wounds went into the chest and caused massive bleeding into the lungs," she wrote.

Taglianetti, the Barbaruolos and approximately 20 of their neighbors attended Millstone Township Municipal Court at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, when the matter was scheduled to go before Judge Debra Gelson.

"We were so happy," Gerry Barbaruolo said. "The turnout was good. We had about 22 people there."

Taglianetti, whose dogs were seized under the New Jersey Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act, pleaded not guilty. Gelson recommended that he get legal representation since he did not have an attorney present.

"When he [Taglianetti] came in, he thought he was just going to say something and they would give him his dogs back," Barbaruolo said. "He didn't realize there would be a multitude of people there against him."

The Barbaruolos circulated a petition among their neighbors and collected 23 signatures urging Gelson not to allow the two dogs back into their neighborhood.

Since the dogs were seized from Taglianetti under the state's Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act, he will have to meet certain criteria in order to get the animals back.

A "potentially dangerous dog" is a dog that has caused bodily injury to a person during an unprovoked attack and poses a serious threat of bodily injury or death to a person; a dog that has severely injured or killed another domestic animal, provided that the dog injured or killed was not the aggressor; a dog that poses a threat of death to another domestic animal; or a dog that has been trained, tormented, badgered, baited or encouraged to engage in unprovoked attacks upon people or domestic animals.

The owner of a potentially dangerous dog must register the animal as potentially dangerous. According to Klink, potentially dangerous dog licenses could cost up to $750 apiece. The dog must be enclosed in a structure that has sound sides, a top and a bottom, and a fence around it. The enclosure must be locked to prevent entry by other people. If taken out of the enclosure, the dog must be securely muzzled and restrained with a tether to restrict the animal's movements to a radius of no more than 3 feet from the owner.

The owner must also display a sign on his property warning that a potentially dangerous dog is on the premises. In addition, owners of potentially dangerous dogs may be required to maintain liability insurance in an amount determined by a municipal judge to cover any damage or injury that might be caused by the potentially dangerous animal. Klink said a $750,000 insurance policy is usually recommended.

Because many owners of potentially dangerous dogs cannot meet the criteria set before them, Klink said that 99.9 percent of the time dogs that have been involved in these types of incidents are put to sleep.

In a written statement to the Examiner, Taglianetti said he wants his dogs returned to him.

"My dogs were not off chains - they were on their own territory," he wrote. "Now my family pets have been traumatized by being taken to a shelter and put into a cage."

The hearing on the matter will continue before Millstone Township Municipal Court at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 20.