Owners to try to curtail dogs barking; Neighbors complained to selectmen.

Byline: Lynne Klaft

LUNENBURG - Tommy and Chloe, a toy fox terrier and a Shih Tzu mix dog, were at the center of a dog nuisance public hearing last night at the selectmen's meeting.

Monica and David Richard of Laurel Lane filed a complaint with the selectmen's office April 28 against the two dogs and their owners, Sarah Howard and Greg Croteau of 58 Laurel Lane.

Nineteen neighbors signed the complaint with the Richards, agreeing that the two dogs' barking was excessive and disturbed the "peaceful use and enjoyment of our properties ... in a small, quiet neighborhood."

Both parties were given a chance to testify, with animal control officer Kathleen M. Comeau weighing in with her opinions.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard said that the dogs were left outside with no one in attendance and barked excessively when people went by the property, or even "when the wind blew."

The dog owners agreed that last summer when the dogs were just puppies, they barked constantly, but said they had matured in the months since. They also said there were five other dogs and 10 cats in the neighborhood, and that other dogs barked as much as their dogs.

Ms. Comeau was called in after an April 28 incident when the Richards called the police to complain about barking late in the evening.

The police reported to the animal control officer that they found the dogs outside. No one appeared to be home, but a was door open, so they put dogs back in the house.

According to the dog owners, they had gone on vacation and a dog sitter who was watching the house and the dogs was not at home during the incident. The sitter later found that the house had been broken into. The dog sitter knew nothing about the incident, because she came home to find the dogs in the house.

Ms. Comeau talked to both parties and found that the dogs did not bark at her when they were in the house. It was her recommendation that the dogs be kept inside when the owners are not at home and that they be put on barking collars when outside.

She said the electrified collars give dogs a "zap" when they bark, and they learn quickly not to bark.

A neighbor, Fred Angel, testified that the dogs were excessive barkers, but that the situation had improved over the last two weeks.

"I am between a rock and a hard place - between two good neighbors, and I am close to senility and losing my hearing ... but I think Greg and Sarah (the dog owners) have gone to bat, and they have quieted down. I don't think that you have to read the canine riot act to their dogs. Unfortunately the street is loaded with dogs, and those two guys have done their share of it," Mr. Angel said.

He noted that

the dogs are "a helluva lot quieter than the motorcycles at the bar" and asked that no strong action be taken, because "dogs bark like we sing and whistle."

The board made a determination that the two dogs were indeed a nuisance to the neighborhood and ordered that the owners keep the dogs inside when not at home and that the animal control officer monitor the situation and report back to the board in 60 days.

NAME: LUNENBURG SELECTMEN