Unbuckled Dogs Draw Stiffer Penalty Than People
Say goodbye to the dog days of summer. New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issues warning to pet owners--restrain your dog in the car or face stiff penalties.
As we turn the bend into summer, say goodbye to your faithful companion hopping into your car, sitting in the passenger seat and hanging his shaggy head out of the window tasting the freedom of the open road.
Northjersey.com Road Warrior John Cichowski reported last week that Col. Frank Rizzo, police superintendent for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, issued a warning that any motorist found driving with an unrestrained pet will face a penalty much stiffer than the $46 fine issued to unbuckled drivers and passengers.
Penalties for unrestrained dogs range from $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail.
Rizzo told reporters that the rationale for the enactment of this new law is that in a car accident dogs become projectiles if they are hanging their heads out of the window.
Patch decided to go straight to the ones charged with the task of enforcing this law and issuing summonses--dog-owning police officers. Those who agreed to respond asked not to be identified, but had the same opinion.
"Seriously," one veteran officer said. "The best part of my day is hitting the road with my dog sitting right beside me in my truck."
Another thought that this was a particularly intrusive law, especially given the severe penalties.
"Does a K-9 have to be restrained?" still another cop questioned. "I can hear it now, 'Wait, we can't sniff out the perp--the K-9's caught in the restraint.'"
In Overpeck Park's dog run on Saturday, the owner of Daisy, a Great Dane, said he thought this was just a back door way for the state to make money. "Really," he said "$250 to $1000? Why not just say you have to add dogs onto your car insurance policy?"
"Oh wait," he continued. "The state wouldn't get that money."
The owner of Millie, a Jack Russell Terrier said, "Great, so now when I restrain her she'll bark non-stop in the car and I'll get into an accident."
rcclexplorer
11:46 am on Monday, June 4, 2012
And what is the fine for driving your dog on top of the car from Mass. to Canada while it poops all over the windshield in fear?
Joe Smith
8:31 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
@rcclexplorer probably a good deal less than the penalty for eating him. don't know why libs go there they'll never win that exchange.
Moe dee
6:51 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
@joe smith -- The President was 8 years old. Not a husband father driving his family -- dope!
rcclexplorer
7:43 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
First of all my comment was meant as a joke that you nut neo cons don't know the difference. Mitt Romney was a grown man, a father and husband that put his dog on top of a car to drive from Mass. to Canada. That is extremely poor judgement by a grown man. I know when I drive down the NJ Turnpike or the GSP I see lots of people with dogs on their cars. Whether you want to acknowledge ir or not that is extremely poor judgement.
Benn Iffer
9:22 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012
It is the safest for your dog. If you want to own a dog, then have enough respect for him/her to keep him/her safe. All you have to do is watch a video of what happens even in a slow speed accident. The force of the animal (no matter how small), becomes impossible for even a superhero to hold back. Maybe $1000 is extreme, but something has to stop people from letting their dogs hang out of the car the way they do. You may be able to control how you drive, but you can't control those around you, and the fine you'll pay will be far less than the medical treatment it will cost to treat your dog if he/she survives an accident.
Sue Kluxen
10:02 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012
This is not what government is supposed to be doing! Give me a break, I love my dog but this is government over reaching! NJ legislators and police have much more important things to be dealing with than my dog catching a breeze out the window! Ridiculous!
Andrew Sokol
7:11 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Well stated.
SJERSEYDEVIL9
7:50 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Yes.
Jim Tober
10:07 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012
I think this is a very very stupid law. The best part of summer is cruisin around with my puppy while it enjoys the fresh air! Explain to me how i'm supposed to restrain a puppy?? with a seatbelt?? you think my dog will actually stay belted in for the whole ride? this law is rediculous.
Jim Tober
10:11 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012
I understand sometimes dogs may climb all over the driver of the vehicle licking the drivers face n sitting on their lap and in that case i totally agree the driver should be responsible enough to have the dog restrained in the back seat or something but not if my dog is laying in the passenger seat minding its own business! what about the huge trailers with horses are those horses completely restrained? cats? gunniea pigs? hamsters? fish??
SJERSEYDEVIL9
7:52 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
I want to see them put a seat belt on a snake.
Johnnie DO DO
10:40 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012
I think rizzo needs to understand we dog owners love our animals, and would put them in harms way. Also did he get lights and a siren on his paddy wagons. I dont thonk he has the right to pull over a motor vehicle!! This state has more laws than any other state and the highest property tax. Time to move!!
Christie Kaplan
8:33 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
and i thought i was strange for actually buckling my dogs in when i take them to the vet!! With them moving around while driving can cause a huge distraction. this way if they are buckled in, you dont have to worry about them jumping all over the car...
PJ
9:25 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
As rediculous as it might sound to buckle our pets in to keep them safe, think of the alternative...If you were in an accident and that loving family pet became projectile...getting seriously injured, or worse, died from his injuries..The loss is just as great as one losing a child.
Grieving the loss of a loved one, whether human or pet is hard. I'd rather have my pets restrained, just like I would have my children restrained in a vehicle. Loss is loss, and the pain is unbearable. Do it for them.
Incontinentia Buttocks
11:22 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Just another gov't tax to be selectively enforced. Last week they were levying $55 for GPS's on windshields. ACAB...
SJERSEYDEVIL9
7:47 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
One of the most assinine Laws ever made in NJ. The only one worse one is that you have to retreat from your house is someone breaks in. I am really questioning the I.Q. of our elected officials at the State Level. . Methinks we have put a gaggle of fools in Trenton. Common Sense is lacking.
antonio movado
9:21 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
I welcome that law. I see so many people with dogs heads hanging out the window. Even dogs in their laps while driving.
Joe M.
6:30 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
On the Parkway everybody's doing about 80+MPH. People are driving and talking on the phone or texting. NJ doesn't do safety inspections anymore so there are many unsafe vehicles on our roads now. But they choose to ignore all that and crack down on unrestrained dogs. What a bunch of idiots we have running our state
jerseygurl
2:47 pm on Sunday, June 10, 2012
well stated!
iCanoe2
9:00 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
This is an absurd law. I can see how the little dogs that are running all over peoples laps while they are driving can be dangerous, but a large dog sticking his head out in the breeze? Really? My dogs are not going to be happy abpout being belted in.
Jim Jonna
9:18 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Hey NJ. How about punishing any driver that ...... Sings along with the radio, or better yet, punish them if they are listening to their radio. Isn't that distracting.
Paying attention to the radio instead of concentrating on driving.
Good reason to drive through PA and avoid NJ
Rick
9:42 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
This is a good law. A dog in the car is not only a distraction but a projectile in an accident! You can get a pretty cheap and quality dog seat belt. Try www.buyclicknstay.com
Incontinentia Buttocks
11:36 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
That's an absolutely useless pos. Why not just suspend your dogs and children by their necks from a home made gallows in the back seat and drive into a bridge abutment. Maybe you can petition your assemblyman to change your license plates from the Garden State to the Nanny State.
jerseygurl
2:50 pm on Sunday, June 10, 2012
that website is NOT a seatbelt, just attaches them to the buckle? Is that the restraint they want?
Pete S
6:30 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
If the state is so concerned with accidents, why don't they stop handing out licenses like they're candy? I'm sorry, but at least 80% of licenced drivers in NJ don't know what the hell they're doing out there. Not to mention the old people. I see about 10 silver alerts per day on average. If they can't get in their car and drive without getting lost, they probably shouldn't be on the road. But the state allows them to get behind the wheel and severely hold up the flow of traffic so that they'll pay to register their car every year and for a new license every couple of years. That's exactly why I can't and won't take this new law seriously. It's about money. Dogs are just the easiest target left to go after. If the state was concerned about safety, then they would go after the real, pressing safety hazards.
Jane Healton
8:22 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
When I was a kid it was thought that it was okay to have a kid standing on the seat beside the parent or sitting on their lap (even the driver's!). Then came the studies showing how they are the first crushed when on laps and how they are both projectiles and victims thrown entirely through windshields etc. It was thought okay to squeeze 6 or 7 kids to a seat and a couple sitting on the floor. Now it is three to a seat with belts unless they are in child safety seats where 3 don't fit. Even as a teen seeing all this I wondered about pets as they have the same physical properties as kids; small enough to go airborne and hurt themselves and others. Apparently we have caught up with the safety facts. Maybe the police chief actually cares about the animals. If you can't buckle then have a travel carrier in the back.
Patty G
3:40 pm on Friday, July 13, 2012
I will agree some people do not use their common sense and let their pets sit on their laps or hang out the windows which can cause potential problems for the driver. But, I can guarantee you the only reason Col. Frank Rizzo is so supportive of this new piece of garbage legislation is it's a way for the wanna-be-cop to pull over cars. Sorry Frank, you're too old to go to the police academy and be a REAL cop.