SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen deemed a dog dangerous last night following a hearing.
Stella, a labrador-pitbull mix owned by Laura Foster, now has to be microchipped, sent to obedience training, must remain in the house or inside her outdoor pen but not tethered, and may leave the home in the owner’s vehicle while on leash.
A complaint against the dog was filed by neighbors Larry and Jennifer Gates following an incident that occurred April 28. Foster said the complaint is false beause she was not in the area that day, and neither was Stella.
“I was in Connecticut and she was with me,” said Foster. “My dog goes with me everywhere.”
Larry Gates recounted the events of April 28 and said he noticed a dog he identified as Stella got loose while he was outside with his wife and mother-in-law. His mother-in-law left and asked him to walk her to her car and he noticed a young boy on a bike.
Gates said he yelled for the boy to go home because of the dog, and the dog then charged after Gates. He said he was able to run to his fenced yard and the dog “barked and snarled” at him, then ran off in the direction of the boy.
Gates said he made sure the boy made it to his own house then called the police to report the incident.
Southwick Police Officer David Massai testified Monday that he was the responding officer and he took Gates’ statement that day and the events told by Gates during the hearing were the same given April 28.
Foster said Gates’ story was not the same.
“His story varies from the police report,” she said.
Stella was involved in another incident Jan. 19 involving another neighbor’s dog, and was reported loose again May 8. Foster agreed there were January and May incidents, but maintained that Stella was not the dog in question April 28 and she had not been loose since May 8.
Foster said Police Chief David Ricardi lied about the Jan. 19 incident and stated that Stella bit an animal control officer. Ricardi later stated in a letter to Foster that he made a mistake.
Foster believes this action is part of retaliation against her for filing a complaint against Ricardi about unrelated incidents.
Stella did bite another dog Jan. 19, and Foster said her dog was also bitten by that dog, however, she has never bitten a human.
“I cant see what’s dangerous,” Foster said, pleading with the board to talk to her neighbor who is a former dog officer.
“He has no problems with my dog,” she said. “Please talk to my neighbor – he sees no aggression in her.”
Foster said she spends her entire day with Stella, often in the fenced play area in her yard, and admitted that she had been loose a few times.
Foster said her dog was well-trained and not dangerous and she did not intend to send her to training.
Animal Control Officer Tracy Root made the recommendations approved by the board because she believed Stella’s chasing was “escalating.”
Foster produced a list of every dog in town that has bitten a person and said that only one of those dogs was deemed dangerous.
Selectman Douglas Moglin asked Root to explain what would happen if Foster did not comply with the adopted rules and she said a fee of $150 would be assessed the first time, followed by $300 fees for additional infractions. Additional sanctions could include wearing a muzzle in public, among others.
Gates was asked if he felt comfortable with the result of the hearing.
“I can live with that as long as the dog does not come on my property,” he said.
Foster asked if there could be another hearing. Selectman Chairman Joseph Deedy said he sympathized with Foster, but there were several incidents leading up to the decision. He mentioned that she needed to follow the rules and perhaps the board could revisit the dangerous designation in the future.
Foster said she was very upset with the decision.
