Williamstown Exiles Three Unruly Dogs
 Maggie Adler said the dogs broke into her home and killed her cat. |
The Board of Selectmen heard hours of testimony from neighbors who said three dogs owned by Donna Mason of Chestnut Street are a nuisance and ordered that the dogs be removed from town within 30 days.
"It's not just the incidents that have been testified about tonight," Selectmen Chairman Thomas Sheldon said. "We also have an extensive written record over six years."
The town has compiled more than 100 pages of complaints and testimony against the dogs for being off leash, excessive barking and being vicious.
The last straw came on July 4 when two of the dogs broke through a screen door and into neighbor Margaret "Maggie" Adler's house. The dogs caused more than $10,000 in damages and killed a pet cat while Adler was out of town.
"I don't exactly feel comfortable in my own house anymore," Adler told the board."There was significant damage to my home as well as the loss of a cat."
Adler said her home was filled with urine and feces — including on her carpets and her bed — and massive property damage. More than $10,000 was spent on professional cleaners, repairs and new items, which was paid by her homeowners insurance, she said.
Mason admitted it was her dogs that caused the damage and killed the cat but said it was a one-time occurrence because the dogs had gotten away from her during a walk. The dogs had run away while still on a leash; Mason said she was searching for them for two days.
"Yes, he got away from me. I'm not as strong as I used to be," Mason said. "I feel really bad."
But despite Mason's insistence that it was an isolated incident, multiple neighbors testified that the dogs have been a nuisance for a long time. Ellen Bayliss recalled two incidents in which the dogs had chased her family members. On July 30, one of Mason's five dogs chased Bayliss' son while he was riding a bicycle down the street and the next day her daughter-in-law was chased while jogging.
"I'm never sure if they are safe," neighbor Sarah Madden said. "It's terrifying."
Neighbor Tony Menkal said his son and daughter were also chased by the dogs. All of the complainants, about seven neighbors, said the dogs are often roaming the streets freely.
"They didn't get bitten but they were scared," Menkal said. "They were really, really scared. It has gotten out of hand."
 Donna Mason showed the Selectmen the thick leash that her dog was restrained with before he pulled away from her. |
Chuck, the dog that had killed the cat, has never had an incident nor had ever been off the property without being leashed before, she said. Another dog, Fooey, sometimes runs off the property but is gentle, she said.
"None of my dogs have ever bit anyone," Mason said. "Chucky has never been loose. He has never been an issue."
The board, however, said the description of each dog and the compiled reports from the animal control officer that cites the dogs by name was enough proof that three of the dogs were public nuisances.
"It's so far beyond reasonable that we have no choice," Selectman Thomas Costley said.
Mason will now have 30 days to find a new home for the pitbull Chucky, a mixed-breed pug Fooey and Princess, a mixed-breed shepherd. She will also have to report to the board about the relocation.
The decision was a blow to Mason, who emotionally responded to each allegation in defense of her dogs and left before the final decision but after each board member voiced favor of removing the dogs.
"My dogs are like my kids," Mason pleaded.
Tags: dogs, domestic animals,
