Walking a dog without a leash?
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anon-011q
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PostPosted: Tue, May 28 2013, 8:31 am EDT    Post subject: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

I saw a woman walking her dog (not a small one) without a leash yesterday (5/27) in Shadow Oaks. The dog ran away from her and approached me while I was near my garage. The dog barked at me and startled me. No harm done, just wondering whether it's ok to walk dog without leash in Cranbury.
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anon-8317
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PostPosted: Tue, May 28 2013, 11:41 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

No. We have a leash law.
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susangoetz-67sn
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PostPosted: Tue, May 28 2013, 6:36 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

Neighbors - The response to this question is correct. According to our Township Code (Chapter 162: Animals, Article II:Dogs) running at large of any dog is prohibited. This includes cases as mentioned in this email chain as well as allowing dogs to run off leash in our Parks, Preserves and all other public land. Of course, your dog can run as they wish on your own property, but once off your own property , an unleashed dog is in violation and the owner is susceptible to fines.
Clearly, people want whats best for the pets and dogs often enjoy the freedom and excitement of running free but the law is clear. There is no place in Cranbury where a dog can run off leash. Unfortunately, there appears to be a growing disregard of the Codes as many people repeatedly allow their animals to run off leash through neighborhoods, parks and preserves in Cranbury. Additionally, when confronted by residents, there have been reported incidents of belligerent behaviors on the part of the dog owners. Understand that people who choose to obey this law are at a distinct disadvantage as they keep their dogs on leash. There have been several reported altercations between dogs when one is on and one is off leash. My own rescue dog was attacked and underwent life saving surgery after an attack by an off leash dog. People believe that their dog is different, but the law is the law.
Unfortunately, enforcement of this law is through our Police Department. I for one would rather our Police force focus on keeping our homes and streets safe and not having to respond to this type of behavior. But if you do see a dog off leash, please call the non-emergency Police number and report the incident. Get a picture of the dog and the owner if you can.
Another alternative we all have is the establishment of a dog park where these people who wish to have their dogs exercise off leash can do so. We have a group of interested residents who are investigating the potential for such an endeavor. If interested in helping, please contact me at Town Hall and I will get the information to you. In the meantime, let's all be respectful of our neighbors and our community. Leash your dog - no matter how nice and well mannered it is and please pick up after them.
Thank you - Susan Goetz, Township Committee
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anon-26o4
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PostPosted: Tue, May 28 2013, 10:02 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

TC- please stop the nonsensical pursuit of each and every special request and interest. The small group of people interested in having a place for their dogs to run free should get a yard or take their dogs to another dog park or not have a dog. Supporting and pursuing this with township efforts in response to a few requests or to address the issue of folks not obeying the existing laws is insane.
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anon-6srn
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 8:46 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

anon-26o4 wrote:
TC- please stop the nonsensical pursuit of each and every special request and interest. The small group of people interested in having a place for their dogs to run free should get a yard or take their dogs to another dog park or not have a dog. Supporting and pursuing this with township efforts in response to a few requests or to address the issue of folks not obeying the existing laws is insane.


How do you know this is such a small group of people?? Now that I know that there is talk about a dog park I will contact the township and get involved. I also know about 10 other groups of friends in town who have talked about this too.
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anon-26o4
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 9:05 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

I and a few friends enjoy classic muscle cars. Unfortunately I cannot drive the speeds I would like in town without getting a ticket (I've tried). I would like a race track in town. Maybe in a few years we can put it and the dog park where the lake used to be?
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KHey-8p94
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 10:09 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

anon-26o4 wrote:
I and a few friends enjoy classic muscle cars. Unfortunately I cannot drive the speeds I would like in town without getting a ticket (I've tried). I would like a race track in town. Maybe in a few years we can put it and the dog park where the lake used to be?


Silly analogy. We have plenty of township land available for a bark park and the cost would be minimal.

Also, complaining that a TC committee member clarifies a point of law is petty at best.

You are sliding dangerously into Troll territory.
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anon-26o4
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 10:32 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

Sorry for the humor, but I am getting a bit tired of our TC appeasing every idea that folks bring to them, regardless of merit…that is not good governance. Please stop the ridiculous troll allegations whenever you hear an opinion you don’t like- we are all anonymous here.

Let me be serious then. There are 565 municipalities in the state of NJ. There are 45 dog parks, many of which, such as those dog parks in nearby West Windsor and Jamesburg, are available to all residents of Mercer and Middlesex counties (ie. you). These parks usually take up a small piece of a large park. We don’t have such a large park. Thus, as with any investment or project, one must consider the opportunity cost. In this case it would be taking away a significant portion of our relatively small parks for usage that only a few residences need or want. I would expect that instead of supporting these ideas and therefore lending credibility (and even maybe commitment) to them, our TC could share these hard facts and instead focus on the real and important issues facing our town, such as the gradual deterioration of one of our largest assets, the lake. And by focusing, I don’t mean performing a temporary solution such as a raking to appease waterfront residents when it gets to a critical stage and residents bring it up. I mean a comprehensive plan with investigation, planning and public outreach.
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anon-sp08
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 12:11 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

There's also a dog park in Plainsboro even closer to town than the Mercer Park or Jamesburg one. So there at least 3 in a few mile radius of Cranbury. So I guess this really comes down to some people needing it within walking distance?

In my experience, they are all under-used. More often than not when we have taken our dog to those at Mercer and Plainsboro we've been the one ones there. And we're talking prime weekend hours.

The Mercer one is constantly closed due to health hazards. Not sure what they have to do to determine that or clean it up, but there's obviously much more involved than just putting up a fence and maintaining the grass. I wonder if their are insurance and liability issues as well.
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anon-7o15
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 2:48 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

Wow.. So we live within a few short miles if 3 of the 45 dog parks in NJ. If, then the logic for the project under consideration is that they need to be within walking distance, we will need several. Either way, this would make us the dog park capital of NJ! TC considering a dog park as refuge for those who break our laws is negligent and suggesting that it is not a good use of our police is disturbing.

Neighbors: please do not be dissuaded by our TCs sentiment that it is "unfortunate" to get our police involved in such matters. My young children have, on several occasions been approached by unleashed dogs and my spouse has been shy to say something or call police. Don't be! This is a matter of public safety. We should not have to trust our safety to the disposition of an animal or their owners judgement. The original poster started this post not because she was afraid of dog poop in her yard, but because she, as my spouse, felt unsafe! This is exactly why we have these ordinances! I called plainsboro/ cranbury court and police and they confirmed that a summons for violating this results in a court appearance and actions (including fines). Please don't be shy or dissuaded to use police for this matter and don't let a TC meet decide for you what should make you feel unsafe. It is what ploice are there for! Use them to enforce and the behaviour will stop and you will feel safe. If you don't, the actions will not stop until a tragedy occurs.
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anon-67sn
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 3:46 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

I am so sorry that my comment has become so misunderstood and distorted. I suppose that is one problem with anonymity on this site.
Point One - My intention was and still is to inform all residents of Cranbury that we have ordinances against free-running dogs and ask those who are either unaware of the ordinance or intentionally ignoring the ordinance to have more concern and consideration for your neighbors and leash your dogs when off your property. No one should feel threatened or unsafe walking anywhere in this community. There is no place in Cranbury, except your private property where a dog is allowed off leash - not a park, not a preserve and clearly not in any neighborhood. It doesn't matter how nice your dog is or how well you believe he/she is trained. Its illegal to let them run free. Please dont do it.

Point Number Two - The discussion of a Cranbury dog park has been brought up by a group of citizens concerned about the disregard for the ordinance as well as concerned about their own and their pet's safety. When ever a resident or group of residents comes before me as a member of your TC, I will give their concerns attention. I understood that was one of the tasks on which I was elected to follow through. When approached about a dog park, I met with a group of volunteers and it was determined that while the Town had no money or resources at this time to undertake this project, this group of concerned citizens could and should proceed with their own due diligence to see if such a concept was possible and appealing to the people of Cranbury. I will always encourage this type of volunteerism. There is no defined "project under consideration" at this time but I hope that the volunteers continue to apply their energies to something that they believe in.

Point Three - At least one responder clearly misunderstood my comment about Police involvement. I did not say that you should avoid notifying the Police if you see a disregard for this ordinance. In fact, I indicated that you should call the police and if possible, take pictures. I simply felt that it is unfortunate that we have to apply our limited law enforcement resources to what from my perspective is a selfish and self serving behavior of a few residents of abusing the parks and open space for their own needs. Trust me, I couldn't be more familiar with the dangers of free running animals. As mentioned previously, my own dog was attacked and nearly killed by an off leash dog on my own street. Its owners did not believe their dog was capable of such an attack but it was a horrific experience to go through.

All I wanted to do by taking the time to respond to the original message is identify the Ordinance and again ask our neighbors and friends to respect each other and the rules we have developed in this town and keep their animals leashed at all times.
If anyone wants to discuss this, or any other Township issue directly with me, my email is SGoetz@Cranbury-NJ.com

Thank you - Susan Goetz
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anon-7o21
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 5:40 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

Thanks Susan. Sorry if I misunderstood or am taking this especially seriously- I was attacked and scarred by an unleashed German Shepard as a small child and think this is way too easy to prevent for my own children to warrant any debate, ambiguity, or need for alternative solutions. Anyway, to be clear, we all seem to agree that:
1- it is illegal to let your dog run unleashed and free anywhere in town except on your own property
2- no effort (such as a dog park) is going to resolve this issue in any way. Residents who would like to let their dogs run free but do not have a yard are encouraged to use one of the three local dog parks in west Windsor, plainsboro or jamesburg
3- if you see a free, unleashed dog anywhere in town on public property, such as a park, please, DO NOT HESITATE to contact the Cranbury Police Department at (609) 395-0031 and ask that they come to that location to issue a citation for violation of our ordinances against this.
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anon-97on
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 7:30 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

Cranbury already has been the scene of attacks by unleashed dogs before.

http://www.cranbury.info/viewtopic.php?t=3688&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=dog+attack&start=32

People need to treat this more seriously. People, pets and animals are maimed or killed by unleashed dogs every year, almost always to the shock of their owners who thought they "knew their dog" as only lovable and friendly. We should not hesitate to call the police and ask the owners to obey the law when we see them with unleashed dogs. Thanks to the original poster for bringing this up.
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anon-26o4
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PostPosted: Wed, May 29 2013, 10:15 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

Great to see some productive debate and good discussion. Seems the outcome is as follows:
A) The dog park seems to have been demoted from getting TC promotion to a mere volunteer project... good to see logic prevail.
B) We all now understand that unleashed dogs are illegal and there seems to be agreement that involving the police to write a few citations which result in court and fines may help to finally put that problem to an end!

A productive day I think!
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anon-7o01
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PostPosted: Thu, May 30 2013, 7:49 am EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

I would like to suggest a 'people park' - where humans can go to a fenced-in area to walk around together and not be afraid of being bitten by dogs. The sign entering the 'people park' should include rules including: No texting, No attacking other people, and people must clean up after themselves.
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anon-orp0
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PostPosted: Thu, May 30 2013, 1:41 pm EDT    Post subject: Re: Walking a dog without a leash? Reply with quote

anon-7o01 wrote:
.... not be afraid of being bitten by dogs.
No attacking other people, and people must clean up after themselves.


Nice idea, maybe apply some of this idea in this forum.
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