[nagdu] NJ Senate approves Dusty's Law protecting service animals

[Ginger Kutsch]

NJ Senate approves Dusty's Law protecting service animals 

Posted by: Jerry DeMarco    

December 20, 2012

Source:
http://cliffviewpilot.com/nj-senate-approves-dustys-law-protecting-service-a
nimals/

 

New Jersey's state Senate today unanimously approved Dusty's Law, which
establishes new crimes for dogs who attack or harm service animals. 

 

Police cannot investigate such instances as a criminal act but, instead,
must refer them to animal control agencies who sometimes cannot respond
immediately

on nights or weekends.

 

Police response is critical, proponents say, because of the imminent danger
to a blind person whose dog is incapacitated or killed.

 

Dusty's Law makes it a criminal matter requiring police response. It governs
any animal that attacks, injures or interferes with any kind of service dog,

including during training.

 

It also increases penalties for the attacking pets' owners - up to $500 -
and allows for restitution to the affected handler and dog.

 

The measure goes to the Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee, where
proponents hope it will be heard in mid-January.

 

It then must be placed on the agenda for a vote by the full Assembly, after
which it would go to Gov. Christie's desk.

 

Supporters hope he'll sign it into law by the end of January.

 

The bill was drafted by state Assemblyman Bob Schroeder of Woodcliff Lake
and sponsored in the other chamber by state Sens. Anthony Bucco and Jeff Van

Drew.

 

Schroeder called it "the first piece of legislation that affords this type
of protection to service animals who provide assistance, as well as to those
who are in training as well."

 

The measure "will send a message that people are responsible not only for
their own actions, but those of the animals they own," he added.

 

The measure's namesake: Dusty 

 

It's named for Dusty, a German Shepherd puppy being trained as a guide dog
who was mauled by a pitbull in Woodcliff Lake, requiring nearly 100
stitches,

in July 2010.

 

Dusty, who was nine months old at the time, lost four teeth and suffered
emotional trauma that kept him from continuing his work with The Seeing Eye
program.

 

"Seeing eye dogs are especially vulnerable to injury during an attack
because they've been bred and trained to be non-aggressive," Jim Kutsch,
president and CEO of The Seeing Eye, the world's oldest guide-dog school.

 

They also "are unlikely to leave their masters' sides, even to save
themselves," said Kutsch who attended today's 38-0 vote in Trenton with his
wife, Ginger,

and her guide dog, Pixie (top photo).

 

The Seeing Eye, a non-profit philanthropy, serves blind and
visually-impaired people throughout North America.

 

The Kutsches and several other advocates have attended all the committee
meetings, hearings and votes leading up to the bill's passage.

 

The group has included Dusty's trainer, Roger Woodhour, who testified
several times and today brought along Lennon, the 28th puppy he has raised
for The

Seeing Eye.

 

Also attending today were Dave Johnson, director of Training & Instruction
at The Seeing Eye; Sue Tillet, a guide-dog user who was also the victim of
an

attack several years ago, and her seeing-eye dog, Roz; and Audrey Kane, a
guide dog puppy raiser and advocate.

 

Woodhour, who lives in Woodcliff Lake with his wife and has volunteered for
Seeing Eye for more than 20 years, noted that nearly half of all guide dogs
are attacked at some time by other animals, ordinarily within a half-hour
walk from home.