Obituaries

Bess the Dog, Longtime Township Employee, Dies

For a decade until her retirement, the English border collie worked for Parsippany, keeping gaggles of geese away from golf courses, parks and schools.

Parsippany is saying farewell to a devoted former employee that served the township's Parks and Forestry Department with distinction from 2000-2010.

According to the Daily Record, Bess, a border collie whose job was to geese away from public grassy areas such as parks and schools, was euthanized Monday at the age of 14 due to "internal issues."

The town decided to hire a dog to deal with the goose problem to save money—Bess' remuneration was all the food she could eat. A popular daily visitor to Parks and Forestry even after she retired due to old age three years ago, she lived at the end with Joe Drury, the department's supervisor. Mayor James Barberio and other town officials are mourning the canine. The mayor told the Record Bess was a "model employee."

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