(NJ) Iditarod hopeful kept 22 dogs on chains - now limited to 5 but chains OK
146 views
Skip to first unread message
Glick...@aol.com
May 10, 2006, 8:28:26 AM5/10/06
to AR-...@googlegroups.com
Letter to the editor: http://www.dailyrecord.com/customerservice/forms/letters.htm
Facts about the Iditarod: http://www.helpsleddogs.org
05/10/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Law will put sled racer in Mine Hill's doghouse
Ordinance limits pooches in residential areas
BY MARIA ARMENTAL
DAILY RECORD
MINE HILL -- Andy Benkendorf has raised and bred sled dogs at his Scrub Oaks Road home for some 10 years.
His dream is to one day compete in the Iditarod, a 1,150-mile race across Alaska that is the Super Bowl of sled dog racing.
But now, Benkendorf has to either reduce the number of dogs he keeps at home or relocate them.
A new ordinance, unanimously approved last Thursday, limits the number of dogs that can be licensed to five per household in residential areas. That ordinance will go into effect 120 days from the ordinance's legal publication, likely making it law around the end of August.
Benkendorf and his girlfriend, Carolyn Harris, live on a residential area of Scrub Oaks Road and have two house dogs, 22 sled dogs and two puppies that they are bottle-feeding. They are also expecting another litter.
According to township records, Benkendorf is the only person with more than five dogs currently licensed in the township.
Benkendorf believes the new ordinance, which would not have a grandfather clause, unfairly targets him.
"It seems very unfair because it seems the ordinance is aimed at me and me only," Benkendorf told the mayor and council members Thursday night.
"They are more than well cared for," he said of the dogs. "I spend more time with these dogs than most people spend with their one dog."
Benkendorf, a landscaper by trade, said he started pursuing his hobby in Mine Hill because the township didn't have such an ordinance.
"Why all of a sudden is there a five-dog limit?" Benkendorf asked.
"These dogs have been with me for the past 10 years. I've raised and bred most of these dogs," he added, noting the ordinance would affect many more people as he is involved in many sled dogs presentations to schools and girl and boy scout groups.
Township officials said they have been discussing limiting the number of dogs in the residential areas for some time.
Council President Marc Sovelove said no thought was ever given to who or how many people would be affected by the ordinance. The focus, he said, remained on residents' concerns and safety.
Sovelove said there have been some complaints about dogs barking,"and we have to look out for residents in residential areas."
"I wouldn't want to live next door to 10 to 15 dogs," Councilman Steve Cicchetti said. "That would bother me."
"When you are talking about a community like Mine Hill,"Councilman Gary Colucci said, referring to the population density and limited open space, "you are talking about people living in close proximity."
Since there are no grandfather provisions -- unlike the cat ordinance already on the books -- Benkendorf will have to either reduce the number of his dogs to the five maximum or apply for a kennel license. Licensed kennels are exempt from the ordinance.
Thursday night, Benkendorf said he had tried to apply for the kennel license but was told that no paperwork was available.
Township officials, who plan to re-examine the kennel ordinance and draft an ordinance regulating chickens, said the application will be available before the ordinance goes into effect. In the meantime, however, they delayed the implementation from the regular 20 days after publication to three months.
Benkendorf argued setting a limit on the number of dogs won't do much to solve any noise concerns.
"Noise can be made by one dog, many dogs, a leaf blower ...I don't think that by limiting the number of dogs that would make it any different," Benkendorf said.
But township officials said the ordinance was needed for regulation purposes.
Benkendorf is considering a number of commercial properties to relocate the sled dogs.
Benkendorf's love affair with sled dogs started some 10 years ago at age 27, when he acquired his first sled dog, a Siberian Husky named Siber.
Then he got a second one and ... fast forward 10 years, Benkendorf is the vice president of the New Jersey Sled Dog Club, which operates mainly in northern New Jersey. He is now trying to qualify for long-distance races, such as the Iditarod, which requires him to run first in at least two 200- to 300-mile-races.
At first sight, his Scrub Oaks Road house appears to be a typical one-family house with two house dogs, Otis and Jack, and a grassy, large backyard. A portion at the end of the yard, however, is neatly fenced-off to accommodate the 20-plus sled dogs, each with its own igloo-shaped kennel. A smaller fenced-off area accommodates the female dogs during the breeding season to keep them away from the male dogs.
But "they are so strong that every once in a while they break the chain" and wander about, Benkendorf said, adding the dogs can pull approximately 700 pounds of dead weight.
Benkendorf said he keeps the area clean and follows all township regulations. Township inspectors, including code enforcement, health and animal control officials, recently visited his property finding no violations or irregularities.
He charged township officials may be targeting him due to the ongoing litigation with his father, William Benkendorf, who owns a landscaping and nursery business on a commercial-zoned area of Scrub Oaks Road. Township officials say he has been operating for two years without the necessary approvals.
"I take this personal," Benkendorf said Thursday before the council meeting. "That's like taking away my family."
Benkendorf knows each one of them by name: Hyper, Blue, Shelby, Bruno, Turbo, Maximus, Moses Wolfie, Jacob, Sasha, Midnight, Roxy, Fearless, Foxy, Adam, Spicy, Garlic, Spooky, Lady ... .
"Some people ask me 'how do you remember their names?"Benkendorf said. "It's like kids. If you had 20 kids, you'd remember their names."
Prices for sled dogs can run into the thousands of dollars.
Once they get too old to compete, around 12 to 13 years, Benkendorf and Harris find them retirement homes.
"They make great pets because they are so acclimated, they are so social that they will fit into anyone's style," Benkendorf said. "They may look like wolves, but they are very kind, very affectionate," he said. "They just love to be around people."
Maria Armental can be reached at (973) 989-0652 or marm...@gannett.com.
Facts about the Iditarod: http://www.helpsleddogs.org
05/10/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Law will put sled racer in Mine Hill's doghouse
Ordinance limits pooches in residential areas
BY MARIA ARMENTAL
DAILY RECORD
MINE HILL -- Andy Benkendorf has raised and bred sled dogs at his Scrub Oaks Road home for some 10 years.
His dream is to one day compete in the Iditarod, a 1,150-mile race across Alaska that is the Super Bowl of sled dog racing.
But now, Benkendorf has to either reduce the number of dogs he keeps at home or relocate them.
A new ordinance, unanimously approved last Thursday, limits the number of dogs that can be licensed to five per household in residential areas. That ordinance will go into effect 120 days from the ordinance's legal publication, likely making it law around the end of August.
Benkendorf and his girlfriend, Carolyn Harris, live on a residential area of Scrub Oaks Road and have two house dogs, 22 sled dogs and two puppies that they are bottle-feeding. They are also expecting another litter.
According to township records, Benkendorf is the only person with more than five dogs currently licensed in the township.
Benkendorf believes the new ordinance, which would not have a grandfather clause, unfairly targets him.
"It seems very unfair because it seems the ordinance is aimed at me and me only," Benkendorf told the mayor and council members Thursday night.
"They are more than well cared for," he said of the dogs. "I spend more time with these dogs than most people spend with their one dog."
Benkendorf, a landscaper by trade, said he started pursuing his hobby in Mine Hill because the township didn't have such an ordinance.
"Why all of a sudden is there a five-dog limit?" Benkendorf asked.
"These dogs have been with me for the past 10 years. I've raised and bred most of these dogs," he added, noting the ordinance would affect many more people as he is involved in many sled dogs presentations to schools and girl and boy scout groups.
Township officials said they have been discussing limiting the number of dogs in the residential areas for some time.
Council President Marc Sovelove said no thought was ever given to who or how many people would be affected by the ordinance. The focus, he said, remained on residents' concerns and safety.
Sovelove said there have been some complaints about dogs barking,"and we have to look out for residents in residential areas."
"I wouldn't want to live next door to 10 to 15 dogs," Councilman Steve Cicchetti said. "That would bother me."
"When you are talking about a community like Mine Hill,"Councilman Gary Colucci said, referring to the population density and limited open space, "you are talking about people living in close proximity."
Since there are no grandfather provisions -- unlike the cat ordinance already on the books -- Benkendorf will have to either reduce the number of his dogs to the five maximum or apply for a kennel license. Licensed kennels are exempt from the ordinance.
Thursday night, Benkendorf said he had tried to apply for the kennel license but was told that no paperwork was available.
Township officials, who plan to re-examine the kennel ordinance and draft an ordinance regulating chickens, said the application will be available before the ordinance goes into effect. In the meantime, however, they delayed the implementation from the regular 20 days after publication to three months.
Benkendorf argued setting a limit on the number of dogs won't do much to solve any noise concerns.
"Noise can be made by one dog, many dogs, a leaf blower ...I don't think that by limiting the number of dogs that would make it any different," Benkendorf said.
But township officials said the ordinance was needed for regulation purposes.
Benkendorf is considering a number of commercial properties to relocate the sled dogs.
Benkendorf's love affair with sled dogs started some 10 years ago at age 27, when he acquired his first sled dog, a Siberian Husky named Siber.
Then he got a second one and ... fast forward 10 years, Benkendorf is the vice president of the New Jersey Sled Dog Club, which operates mainly in northern New Jersey. He is now trying to qualify for long-distance races, such as the Iditarod, which requires him to run first in at least two 200- to 300-mile-races.
At first sight, his Scrub Oaks Road house appears to be a typical one-family house with two house dogs, Otis and Jack, and a grassy, large backyard. A portion at the end of the yard, however, is neatly fenced-off to accommodate the 20-plus sled dogs, each with its own igloo-shaped kennel. A smaller fenced-off area accommodates the female dogs during the breeding season to keep them away from the male dogs.
But "they are so strong that every once in a while they break the chain" and wander about, Benkendorf said, adding the dogs can pull approximately 700 pounds of dead weight.
Benkendorf said he keeps the area clean and follows all township regulations. Township inspectors, including code enforcement, health and animal control officials, recently visited his property finding no violations or irregularities.
He charged township officials may be targeting him due to the ongoing litigation with his father, William Benkendorf, who owns a landscaping and nursery business on a commercial-zoned area of Scrub Oaks Road. Township officials say he has been operating for two years without the necessary approvals.
"I take this personal," Benkendorf said Thursday before the council meeting. "That's like taking away my family."
Benkendorf knows each one of them by name: Hyper, Blue, Shelby, Bruno, Turbo, Maximus, Moses Wolfie, Jacob, Sasha, Midnight, Roxy, Fearless, Foxy, Adam, Spicy, Garlic, Spooky, Lady ... .
"Some people ask me 'how do you remember their names?"Benkendorf said. "It's like kids. If you had 20 kids, you'd remember their names."
Prices for sled dogs can run into the thousands of dollars.
Once they get too old to compete, around 12 to 13 years, Benkendorf and Harris find them retirement homes.
"They make great pets because they are so acclimated, they are so social that they will fit into anyone's style," Benkendorf said. "They may look like wolves, but they are very kind, very affectionate," he said. "They just love to be around people."
Maria Armental can be reached at (973) 989-0652 or marm...@gannett.com.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages