| Vernon couple suing township over impoundment of their dog |
The first of two Vernon dog owners to be charged under the state’s vicious dog law is suing the township for allegedly impounding his dog illegally in September 2016 and recently hitting him with six new charges after he served the township with a lawsuit two months ago.
Jose Galvan, a 41-year-old Paterson police officer who moved to Vernon three years ago, made headlines last year when his dog — a male American Bully that bit off part of a mailman’s finger in September 2016 — was spared from death under a consent judgment that allowed it to be reclassified from “vicious,” which would have meant an automatic death sentence for the animal, to the slightly less onerous designation of “potentially dangerous.”
Doing so meant the dog could return home under strict conditions, which included that he be housed in a specially built kennel in his yard and muzzled and leashed at all other times. However, it also provoked anger by township officials who protested that they were not consulted as part of the plea agreement, which further required the township animal control officer to conduct monthly inspections at the township’s expense to ensure compliance with the terms of the order.
| Read more at NJherald.com |
