SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A New Jersey borough has banned non-service dogs from its boardwalk and beach.
The borough of Seaside Heights banned non-service dogs from its boardwalk and beach effective Monday, it said in a press release.
Anyone who brings a non-service dog to the beach area will be fined at least $100, the release said. Those who do bring service dogs into the area must be able to prove that they are “bona fide service animals,” the release noted.
“All claims that a dog is a service animal will be challenged by trained code enforcement officers as permitted by the Americans With Disabilities Act,” the release said. “Very few dogs are bona fide service animals.”
“Comfort dogs and therapy dogs are not bona fide service animals,” the release added. “In New Jersey, you can be fined from $100 to $500 for putting your dog in a guide dog harness to falsely pass it off as a guide dog.”
The new rules came amid “rising complaints about owners not picking up after their pets,” NJ.com reported Thursday.