Cops Seize Dogs In Attacks At North Jersey Hotel And Supermarket, Police Say

HOBOKEN, NJ — Three cane corso dogs are in police custody after four people and a bernedoodle dog were attacked in two Hudson County incidents this week, officials said.

On Monday, according to Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller, three dogs "pretty viciously" attacked a man and woman at the Red Roof Inn in that town, sending both victims to Hackensack Medical Center for treatment.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, according to Hoboken police, three dogs belonging to the same owner got out of a vehicle near the Hoboken ShopRite and attacked two people who were walking eight pet dogs.

Both dog walkers suffered sprained wrists trying to control the situation, and a pet bernedoodle was injured, said police and the bernedoodle's owner.

The owners of "Frank," the bernedoodle, said on a fundraiser page on Wednesday that their pet required emergency surgery. As of Thursday night, the fundraising goal had been increased from $8,000 to $40,000, and had amassed more than $13,000.

According to Miller, the Monday night attack occurred in the hotel parking lot.

Miller told Patch in an interview that just before 8:30 p.m., his officers responded to an attack involving three dogs.

In that incident, he said, the dogs got out of the open hotel room and attacked a man and woman from New York State.

Both victims are expected to survive, he said, but the woman was still in the hospital as of Thursday, and has undergone leg surgery.

Miller said that during the administration of Gov. Chris Christie, the governor mandated that each police department have an animal control officer on staff to handle such incidents.

Their officer went to court on Tuesday and received an order to seize the three dogs involved in that attack, whose owner lives in Hoboken, Miller said.

Secaucus officers were preparing to seize the dogs in Hoboken on Wednesday when they found out that the same owner was involved in another attack, he said.

He said the dogs were cane corsos (Italian mastiffs) in both incidents, but it hasn't been determined that all of the three dogs in the Secaucus attack were the ones involved in the Hoboken incident. He said that detectives verified that at least one of the dogs was involved in both attacks. They are still investigating.

The dog owner has at least six cane corsos, Miller said.

Miller said that so far, the owner has surrendered three of his dogs to Jersey City's humane society, and surrendered three others to Secaucus police, who currently have them in custody.

Miller said it's not yet known whether the dogs will be euthanized.

"It appeared the owner of the dog is a breeder," Miller said. "He's a Hoboken resident. He left the door open to the hotel room, not necessarily on purpose, but three of the dogs got out. They attacked, pretty viciously, a man and woman in the parking lot. They suffered severe, but not life threatening, injuries to their face and body parts."

Miller did not want to comment yet on why the man was at the Red Roof Inn.

"By the time my officers got there, the dogs were corralled in a vehicle," Miller said.

He said charges against the owner are pending.

"With court proceedings, euthanization [of the dogs] is likely to happen, but not definite yet," he said.

He said his department will charge the owner with town ordinance violations, and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the matter to see if criminal charges are appropriate.

Miller said he didn't know of other recent attacks by the dogs in Secaucus.

Patch will update this story when more information is available.