Dog owners: End ban on pets in NJ town's parks

FANWOOD, N.J. - These days, the biggest issue in Fanwood, a borough in Union County, is the battle over the rule banning pets from its parks. The problem is so divisive that residents are lobbying the mayor and borough council to change the 20-year-old ban.

Chapter 118, Section 23 looks to amend the current law to allow dog owners to walk through the park with one leashed dog at a time. Dogs would not be allowed in any of the sports areas or the playground. This would be a huge change from the current rule, which is no dogs on any parkland, at any time, for any reason.

No one really knows how many of the town's nearly 8,000 residents are actually opposed to dogs in the borough's three parks or why the ordinance was enacted in the first place. It has either been accepted as fact or totally ignored for the last 20 years unless a concerned neighbor alerts the police.

The borough council meeting on Monday night drew a very pro-dog crowd — not one person spoke against the proposed change.

The council will vote on the measure at its July 18 meeting.