Dog complaints result in hearing

By Natasha Clark

Reminder Assistant Editor

LONGMEADOW On June 6, Longmeadow resident Richard Duncan was ordered to confine his two German Shepards to a fenced-in area and, should the dogs be involved in another incident, the Select Board will have the animals removed from the town or destroyed.

According to Select Board Chair John Papale, there have been seven police reports filed about the dogs over a two year period eight known incidents if one is included that was not officially reported by a neighbor.

The Longmeadow Select Board received a written complaint regarding the animals, and under Chapter 140, Section 157 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Select Board conducted a hearing last Monday evening.

Lisa and Eric Dahl filed a complaint regarding Duncan's dogs. According to the couple, the two German Shepards attacked their two 10 month-old puppies as the couple were walking their dogs.

The Dahls claimed that while the Duncans attempted to call the dogs, they did not make an effort to retrieve them.

Both parties agreed the puppies were not bitten, but the Dahls said their puppies had missing fur.

In reference to complaints that Eric Dahl threatened Richard Duncan, Lisa Dahl said that while her husband did yell to Richard Duncan "you're dead," it was "during extreme stress."

The Dahls brought up other situations in which the German Shepards were loose. According to them, local children were chased on their bikes by the animals one morning, on another occasion they said that Eric Dahl was chased while jogging.

Lisa Dahl read a written statement on the behalf of resident Ann Mann, who was not present. Also a resident of Ardsley Road, Mann said one of the German Shepards jumped on her back, and that she chose not to report the situation to the police department.

Dahl also read a letter from Joseph Dowe, also of Ardsley Road, who wrote that one of the dogs followed him and his son as they walked home and it continued to circle them and growl. It was reported that after the incident Richard Duncan went to Dowd's home and apologized.

Duncan acknowledged to the Select Board that there were a "couple situations where the dog[s] got out," but that they had "no evidence the dogs had bitten anybody," adding later that the dog[s] do "rough house."

The Duncan family also said they have taken measures to keep the dogs contained including having an invisible fence installed, and training collars.

Duncan said that Eric Dahl was using profanity and that this wasn't the first time that Dahl was on their property threatening his family members, in which Papale replied that they were "not here to talk about Mr. Dahl's behavior but the dog [behavior]."

"If you have a fenced-in area, how do the dogs get out?" asked Vice Chair Kathleen Grady.

Duncan said one incident happened as a result of a workman leaving the gate open, and that he has teenagers that go in and out of the house.

The Board voted that Duncan keep the dogs in a confined fenced- in area and if there is an additional incident, the Board will order the removal or destruction of the animals.