Dog Owners In Court Thursday on Euthanization Issue

A Jefferson couple will be in municipal court on Thursday night after violating a court order agreeing to keep their two African Boerboel dogs muzzled while walking them, Jefferson police said.

Gary and Susan Kolb of Oak Ridge walked their dogs in Jefferson without muzzles on Oct. 18, 2011, according to police records. This violated an order they had earlier signed in Jersey City.

Jefferson Municipal Prosecutor James LaSala will bring a motion before the court on Thursday for forfeiture of the dogs to the township and euthanization, according to Jefferson Township Mayor Russell Felter.

Thursday’s hearing before Municipal Court Judge William Bowkley will focus on reasons for and against euthanization, but if an order for destruction is granted it would be stayed if the Kolbs elect to appeal, according to a Daily Record article.

The two 100-pound dogs have been housed by Jefferson Township since last October. Part of their time was spent at the Jefferson Pound, but they now reside at Woofs N Whiskers in Andover, according to Deputy Police Chief William Craig.

“We couldn’t keep the dogs at our pound any longer because it was getting impossible to perform the day-to-day business of the pound, since these dogs don’t get along well with other dogs,” Craig said. “But we have been paying to keep them since last year.”

“The Kolbs have violated past court orders, and we need to take action because we want our residents to be safe,” Felter said. “For the week or so that they had the dogs, everyone was on edge.”

Neither the Kolbs nor their attorney, Robert Dunn, could be reached for comment.