Judge orders three Dobermans impounded after attack

Wantage - Wantage Township Municipal Justice Craig Dana ruled last week that three dogs involved in an October attack on a Wantage woman and her pug be impounded by the Wantage Animal Shelter and euthanized. At a court hearing on Jan. 18, Dana heard testimony from the owner of the dogs, Jimmy Allen of Wantage, and from the victim of the attacks, Tammy Terranova, Allen’s neighbor. Dana found that the three Dobermans were unlicensed and “vicious and dangerous,” as determined by New Jersey state law. Dana ordered Allen to surrender three Doberman Pinschers to the Wantage Animal Shelter by 4 p.m. that afternoon. Allen delivered two of the dogs that afternoon and was notified by Wantage Animal Control Officer John Abate the following day that he would be in contempt of court if he failed to surrender the third Doberman that afternoon. Abate confirmed that Allen complied and dropped off the third dog on Friday, Jan. 19. Allen and his wife, Leigh, have 20 days to appeal the ruling. Repeated attempts by The Advertiser-News to contact the Allens were unsuccessful. Jim Doherty, the Wantage Township administrator, said that if the Allens did successfully appeal Dana’s decision within the 20-day grace period, the dogs would be kept at the Wantage Animal Shelter until the case is resolved. The appeal process could take months, said Doherty. The case involves an attack on Terranova and her pug, Romeo, which occurred on Oct. 30. Romeo was attacked by three of Allen’s five Dobermans on his property. After discovering that Romeo was missing, Terranova walked into her backyard to call for him. She was then attacked by the three Dobermans. She was able to fight the dogs off and get back inside her home but not until after the dogs had bitten her several times in her arms and legs, leaving her with several deep puncture wounds and scars. Following the court hearing, Terranova said she was relieved that two of the Dobermans had been brought to the Wantage Animal Shelter, but she was concerned for her family’s safety when the status of the third dog was unknown. “I’m still scared about Midnight,” said Terranova, referring to the Doberman that Allen eventually surrendered on Jan. 19. “He’s the ringleader among these dogs and he’s [Allen’s] prize possession.” Terranova’s attorney, Howard D. Popper of Morristown, said that Dana “had issued a very detailed ruling.” Popper added that he and Terranova are “gathering information” that could be used in a civil suit against the Allens. He added that he and Terranova have not discussed the possibility of filing criminal charges against her neighbors. “Right now we just want to make sure the family is safe,” said Popper. “I felt the dog warden bent over backwards” in trying to accommodate both parties when he initially allowed the Allens to keep the Dobermans at their home immediately following the Oct. 30 attacks, said Popper. At that time, Abate had instructed the Allens to keep the dogs inside their home and to walk only one dog at a time on a leash. However, Terranova said she witnessed the Dobermans running loose on the Allens’ property several times over the ensuing months. In fact, she and her husband captured video footage of the dogs outside the Allens’ home on Halloween.