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Past incidents involving domestic animal attacks aboard Camp Lejeune have prompted recent revisions to the existing base order regulating the possession and control of pets.
From this point forward, full or mixed breeds of pit bulls, rottweilers, wolf breeds or any canine breeds with dominant traits of aggression, as determined by the base veterinarian, are prohibited aboard base. Visitors are also banned from bringing these unauthorized dogs onto base and all military sponsors will be held responsible for enforcing this regulation.
Base Order 10570.1D will be signed today by the base commanding officer to prevent unnecessary injuries resulting from potentially dangerous animals on base.
“The reason for this change is clear,” said base commanding officer Col. Richard P. Flatau, Jr. “To the extent possible, we want to prevent unnecessary injuries resulting from dangerous or potentially dangerous animals. These specific breeds present an unreasonable risk to the health and safety of our residents and are therefore prohibited.”
Current base residents who already own these vicious breeds will be allowed to maintain them under a grandfather provision as long as they meet certain confinement guidelines. According to the new order, these breeds must be kept in a USDA-approved pen instead of a fenced yard.
Many of the rules for pet owners covered in the previous order have been carried over to the new one. Similar to the previous order, on-base residents are limited to two domestic animals, which can be any combination of dogs or cats.
Residents are still required to register their dog or cat at the Veterinary Treatment Facility within 15 days of either occupying housing or otherwise being kept aboard the base. They must also register their pets with Atlantic Marine Corps Communities housing office. The new order states residents must renew those registrations annually with the VTF and the base housing manager in order to ensure the animals are up to date on all required inoculations and still not considered potentially dangerous. Consistent with the previous order, all cats and dogs must be micro-chipped and wear a collar with the current address of the owner and a rabies inoculation tag attached.
“Vicious breeds or not,” said Col. Flatau, “we still need to regularly ensure standard veterinary requirements are being enforced for all pets residing on base. The health and safety of all residents is paramount.”
Additionally, the order addresses domestic animal requirements and standards all pet owners on base should know.
“Besides the obvious changes with respect to vicious breeds, the order also acts as a guide for residents to follow. There may be some questions as to what steps to take when bringing a pet on base. This order will answer those questions,” said Col. Flatau.
For its part, AMCC has launched a comprehensive information campaign outlining the new regulations, according to Kathleen Murney, AMCC’s general manager.
“We’ve sent out individual letters to each Camp Lejeune residence and they can also see the full order and any other frequently asked questions on our Web site,” Murney said. “Additionally, we’ll reiterate the details about the new base order in our monthly newsletter.”
After residents first obtain proper documentation from the Base Veterinary Treatment Facility, they need to supply those records to our AMCC Office to prove up-to-date registration, inoculations and microchip information. All residents can simply go to any of our community offices and fill out the paper work.”
AMCC is coordinating with the installation’s leadership to ensure the process of implementing the new base pet policies goes as smooth as possible for its residents, according to Murney.
The new base order is a proactive step to ensure the safety of all base residents and another measure designed to prevent future attacks aboard Camp Lejeune. To read the revised base order in its entirety, please visit the base website at lejeune.usmc.mil.
