Altavista Town Council stopped short Tuesday night of declaring two barking dogs on Myrtle Lane a public nuisance. Members decided to give the owner a month to resolve a situation that has drawn complaints from neighbors.
Council decided to take the issue under advisement until the March meeting, giving Annette Hite, the owner of the two boxers, an opportunity to abate the problem.
Hite, who lives at 327 Myrtle Lane, told council she was willing to try to do that. She said she wasn’t trying to disobey an ordinance, although she did question how much the dogs had been heard barking.
Mayor Mike Mattox said if council doesn’t see progress, it could move forward with declaring the dogs a public nuisance under the town code and requiring Hite to take action. Council would set that action; the code doesn’t clearly define what it would be.
Councilman Charles Edwards said collars that shock the dogs when they bark might take care of the problem.
Hite said she had two new collars.
Council members indicated something needed to be done after hearing from three neighbors at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Wayne Mitchell said the barking isn’t every day and isn’t all of the time, but he said he’d heard the dogs bark for 14 hours straight.
“We’re just asking for respect,” said another neighbor. “They bark constantly.”
“I’m not saying the dogs never bark. Any dog will bark sometime. … If these dogs are barking 12, 13, 14 hours at a time, surely I’d hear it,” said Hite’s father, Pat Tweedy, who said he regularly visits his daughter. He said it was hard for him to believe the dogs are barking as much as people reported.
Deputy Police Chief Ken Walsh said the department had 13 calls for service about the dogs from last October into January. He said officers heard dogs barking at times, while at other times, they didn’t.
The last complaint was Jan. 12, according to information presented to council.
Hite was issued a summons for violating the town code regarding noisy animals. The case was dismissed in Campbell County General District Court.
In an unrelated dog issue, the town’s Recreation Committee recommended that dogs on a leash be allowed in English Park and that waste stations be installed. This would be consistent with Shreve Park in Altavista and other Campbell County parks.
Dogs are now prohibited in English Park.
Mattox referred the recommendation to the Public Works/Utility Committee for study. He said the town would eventually have a public hearing.