Perkasie Borough Police. Photo by Tony Di Domizio.
A Sellersville woman found guilty of harboring a dangerous German Shepherd last year due to four documented unprovoked attacks on people or dogs since August 2022 has been charged with numerous misdemeanors for failing to register the dog as such with the state.
Toni Anne Carrozza, 34, of the 100 block of East Walnut Street, was charged via summons July 17 by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement for violations occurring between May 3, 2023 and July 17, 2024, per the criminal affidavit.
She faces misdemeanor charges of failure to validly register a dangerous dog, failure to provide proof that her dog was implanted with a microchip, per state law, failure to secure a $50,000 insurance bond or policy of liability insurance for her dog, and failure to provide proof of her dog being neutered, according to court documents.
Carrozza was convicted before Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage of harboring a dangerous dog, a German Shepherd named Onyx, in violation of state law in March 2023, and fined more than $800, according to Perkasie Borough Police, stemming from a Feb. 11, 2023 incident. Armitage reported the conviction to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, under the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, per court documents.
Carrozza was given a dangerous dog packet from the Department of Agriculture, notifying that Onyx had been adjudicated to be a dangerous dog and set forth duties and responsibilities for Carrozza as a dog owner, to be completed within 30 days, per the criminal complaint.
Authorities said, as of June 17, 2024, Carrozza failed to register Onyx for 2024.
Shannon Powers, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, said the process of registering a dangerous dog begins with an investigation by local police, or a dog warden, or a local animal control officer. From there, charges are filed with a Magisterial District Court judge, and then a hearing is held. If the dog is deemed dangerous, Powers said, that triggers a set of responsibilities for the dog’s owner.
“The owner has to have the dog restrained, they have to post a warning sign that a dangerous dog lives in the residence, they need a liability insurance policy, and the dog has to be muzzled if it is off the property,” Powers said.
The dog is then placed on a state list of dangerous dogs.
“The state can’t order someone to destroy or get rid of their dog,” Powers said. “What happens often is, because it is so expensive to take out that liability policy to have fencing, and a fine, and have it registered, you take on a lot of risk. And a lot choose to euthanize their animals.”
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20 at 1:45 p.m. before Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
