Haddonfield man agrees to relocate one of his dogs

By James Osborne, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: April 10, 2010

The Haddonfield doctor whose Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs have landed him in court multiple times has agreed to move one of the animals out of town.

Duke, who attacked a 4-year-old girl in Salem County last year, will not reside in the borough until court proceedings are held to decide what should be done with the animal, Haddonfield Commissioner Ed Borden said Friday. One possibility is that the court could order Duke to be put down.

In a tentative deal agreed to by the borough and dog owner Bob Taffet two weeks ago, the family will keep no more than two dogs in its Camden County home. The Taffets also will extend a four-foot wrought-iron fence around the perimeter of the property.

"In the case of any future incident, the Taffets are required to report immediately to the animal control officer," he said. "We're confident the agreement will be complied with."

The family will install an electric fence and keep the dogs muzzled and leashed when not in the home on Upland Way.

The agreement awaits final approval Tuesday night from the Borough Commission.

Taffet, whose earlier unwillingness to remove the dogs aroused the ire of many of his neighbors, declined to comment on the record when contacted Friday evening.

Last month, a New Jersey appellate court ruled that another of Taffet's dogs, Rocky, who bit five people between 2002 and 2004, was "potentially dangerous." That overturned an earlier Municipal Court ruling that found that the dogs had been provoked.

As part of the agreement with Haddonfield, Taffet - who once showed his dogs at area shows - agreed to not to challenge the appellate court ruling.

Contact staff writer James Osborne at 856-779-3876

or jaosborne@phillynews.com.