Asbury Park Bans Backyard Dog Breeding, In Attempt To Rid Town Of Dog Fighting
ASBURY PARK, NJ — Asbury Park is trying to crack down on the persistent dog fighting problem in that town, as well as in neighboring Neptune Township.It's long been a crime to operate a dog fight or participate in one, but Asbury Park is now taking additional steps to stop the problem at its source: When the dogs are puppies.Last week, the city council passed a new law that makes it illegal to breed dogs or cats from a private home. Anyone caught breeding a dog or cat from their home for profit will be subject to a $1,000 fine, states the new ordinance.Asbury Park may be the first town in the state of New Jersey to ban backyard breeding, said AP Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, who pushed for the new law. New Jersey has no statewide law against backyard breeding. Neptune Township Councilman Derel Stroud is exploring passing a similar ban on backyard breeding in that town."Asbury Park had an issue with dog fighting in the past, and recently it's been back. It's a problem in both Asbury Park and Neptune," said Quinn. "And we've been getting calls (about backyard breeders). So now we have a consequence when someone calls."In the past two years, the city has received numerous calls from residents about people breeding dogs, usually pit bulls, out of their backyards. The dogs and their puppies are often kept in unsanitary, crowded conditions, and neighbors report hearing dogs bark day and night, and dogs being kept outside in the rain and cold."I've seen backyards that concern me," said Quinn. "What we're also seeing is loose pit bulls. They breed puppies and if they don't sell, they try to sell the puppies on the street. We're seeing people try to sell pit bull puppies on the street for $20 ... And I am very pro pit bull; I have two pit bulls as pets. I adore pit bulls. I just want to see them live nicer lives.""It's not the breed; it's the way they are raised," said Asbury Park Mayor John Moor, who said he also had a pet pit bull. "Hopefully, Neptune Township passes something similar."The dogfights are usually operated by subsets of the Crips and the Bloods street gangs, both of which have active subsets in Asbury and Neptune, the Monmouth County Prosecutor said last week. And in February 2024, an anonymous tip led to the Monmouth County SPCA uncovering a dogfighting operation on Embury Avenue in Neptune Township. (The SPCA provides the Animal Control services in Asbury Park and Neptune.) SPCA officers and Neptune police officers said they had to follow a trail of fresh blood to a locked garage in a backyard, where they found six barking dogs inside. The dogs were all kept in crates and soiled with their own excrement.Police said they also found found syringes, IV bags, medication suspected to be animal steroids and two dog treadmills — all signs the dogs were being trained to fight. The animals had scabs and scarring, body injuries and punctures to their ears and mouths. Some of the dogs were also used as bait dogs.The Asbury Park city council unanimously passed the ordinance on second reading last Wednesday, July 23. It will become town law 20 days from that second reading, in mid-August. The new law also makes it illegal to sell a dog or cat (or incur a $250 fine).Exceptions will be made if a female dog births a litter on accident, and if someone has to re-home their dog or cat due to a job loss, loss of a home or financial struggles, said Quinn."If you are breeding dogs on purpose in Asbury Park, you are in violation," she said. "As far as I'm aware, Asbury Park is the only town to have such an ordinance on this. Since we are the first town in New Jersey doing this, it's going to be a process. We will see if this needs to be tweaked in the next six to nine months."Prior: Dog-Fighting Ring Discovered In Neptune Township: Police discovered dogs with wounds and trauma, plus animal steroids and dog treadmills (February 2024)Crips Gang Subset Active In Asbury Park, Neptune, Freehold Twp., Prosecutor Says (July 2025)The article Asbury Park Bans Backyard Dog Breeding, In Attempt To Rid Town Of Dog Fighting appeared first on Asbury Park, NJ Patch.
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