Senator James Holzapfel

Pet owners who leave their animals to languish on chains or ropes in their yards, exposed to harsh conditions and without shelter, would risk having them taken away, under a Shore-sponsored measure that won state Senate approval Monday.

If you live near Barnegat Bay...and if your home has a lawn...and if you're concerned about the effect of substances that help your lawn but hurt the Bay...would $250 a year be incentive enough for you to swap the grass for something different?

The tragedy of a Rottweiler's inadvertent death during an overnight stay in a pet clinic has less of a chance of occurring if a law signed in Toms River today has its intended effect.

Your chances of unwittingly buying a dog or cat in bad health would drop sharply, if a measure sponsored by two shore state Senators becomes law.