University of Utah
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – People are sick and tired of seeing dogs on the boardwalk and untethered on the beach. Last Thursday, between 3-4 p.m., a girl was bitten by a dog running at large on the beach, and the dog’s owner denied the dog bit her, according to the girl’s mother.
The unusually warm weather last week brought many people to the beach to enjoy the sunshine, and since dogs are permitted on the beach, fido showed up as well. In Ventnor, dogs are permitted on the beach between Oct. 1 and May 15, but they must be leashed and walked only at the high tide line. During summer, dogs are permitted on the beach between 7-9 p.m. only. Dogs are never allowed on the boardwalk, except to cross over to get to the beach entrances.
According to a Ventnor woman, who posted her harrowing story on the Ventnor NJ Community Forum Facebook page, her daughter was one of those out to enjoy the warm sunshine Thursday when a dog playing frisbee with its owner charged at her and bit her on the leg. When her daughter asked the woman to put the dog on a leash, the woman denied that the dog bit her. Ventnor Police were notified, and they advised her to seek immediate medical treatment at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. The girl endured a first round of shots and was due back to get a second round of shots.
Police are investigating the incident and trying to find the woman with the dog, reportedly a tan and black mid-sized dog, to determine if the dog was up-to-date on its rabies vaccine. In the absence of a rabies vaccine certification, procedure requires the victim undergo a series of painful rabies shots, administered in the stomach area over several days. If not treated, rabies can be fatal in humans.
Anyone who was on the beach at Dorset Avenue at the time of the incident is asked to call the Ventnor City Police Department.
Atlantic County health officials remind residents of the importance of vaccinating their pets against rabies, a viral disease that can be fatal if left untreated.
Mayor Lance Landgraf said the commissioners will discuss raising the fine for violating the city’s ordinance governing dogs on the beach at their next meeting, April 27. Proposed fees could be raised to $200 for the first offense, up from the current $25, $500 for the second offense and $1,500 for any subsequent offense.
During the April 13 Board of Commissioners meeting, several residents complained about dogs running at large on the beach, pooping on the boardwalk, and electric bicycles nearly running people over.
“People are not following the laws,” one woman said.
Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Kriebel said the city had already discussed updating the ordinance before the dog biting incident.
“We were already looking at revising the ordinance,” he said Monday morning. “The nice weather always brings out more people and, unfortunately, some bad behaviors.”
He said the ordinances regarding dogs on the beach and boardwalk and motorized bicycles are enforced during the summer when the city hires extra Class 2 officers. The city had planned to double the number of Class 2 officers to 10 this summer and budgeted for it, but only five were found to be qualified for the job.
“We interviewed 19 and wanted to hire 10, but only five passed all the tests required,” he said.
The officers will start in mid-May and efforts will be made to hire more.
“We are also going to increase signage detailing the regulations, which will be posted at beach entrances and in public parking areas,” Kriebel said.
Kriebel also said the city would consider the possibility of requiring a rabies certification for pet-friendly short-term rentals. The commissioners last week were ready to approve changes to the short-term rental ordinance requiring a minimum stay of two nights, but tabled the ordinance after several residents requested more safety controls, such as requiring government issued identification and a minimum age of 21.
City ordinance requires dogs to be licensed and requires owners to: “Prevent such dog from being on the boardwalk, beach, the approaches thereto or on any pier, pavilion, playground or recreational area of the City of Ventnor City, whether the dog is leashed or unleashed, except that dogs on a leash may be permitted on the beach only between October 1 and May 15 in the area of the beach washed daily by the high tide.”
Dogs and cats must be vaccinated to obtain a license.
According to the Atlantic County Division of Health, dogs and cats who receive an initial rabies vaccination are not considered immunized until 28 days after the vaccine has been administered, therefore it is strongly recommended that any animal newly vaccinated or those too young to receive the vaccine (less than three months) not be left outdoors unattended. Situations have arisen where pet owners have left unvaccinated or newly vaccinated pets outdoors where they have sustained exposures to known or suspect rabid animals, resulting in euthanasia or four to six months strict confinement.
Public health officials also advise residents to teach children to stay away from wild, stray or aggressive animals. Never feed or touch wild animals or try to keep them as pets.
If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and seek medical attention. All bites should be reported to the Atlantic County Division of Public Health at 609-645-5971.
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