SUNDERLAND — The Selectboard voted Monday to amend a portion of its December 2022 dangerous dog ruling, following an appeal and deliberation with the dog’s owner and her lawyer.
The amended order changes the designation of Lobo, a 1½-year-old Maremma, from a dangerous dog to a nuisance dog; allows Lobo to be taken outside for two 15-minute periods between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; and requires that he be enrolled in a training program. The ruling follows an Oct. 25 incident when Lobo, owned by Shiun-Fen Luo, bit and scratched Michael Sniadach, 81, when he stopped by Luo’s house to give the dog a ham bone when Luo was not home.
Explaining the amendments, Selectboard member Nathaniel Waring said board members found it was excessive to forbid Lobo from going outside at night.
“We agreed that it was not reasonable to say, ‘Your dog could not go to the bathroom at all for this period of time.’ So, we agreed to giving them some very regulated, very short breaks … without compromising the nature of the order in general,” Waring said. He noted that the training requirement was not in the original order and was “an additional concession.”
All other conditions remain unchanged, including requirements to supervise Lobo when he is outside, while also being confined to a pen or dog run; forbidding Lobo from being tethered to an inanimate object for more than five hours in a 24-hour period; and that Luo must use a leash and muzzle when taking Lobo off her property. Lobo was also required to be neutered within 90 days of the ruling, unless a vet found medical complications.
Despite Luo — and, according to her testimony, Sniadach — characterizing the incident as an accident, Town Counsel Gregg Corbo recommended in December to label Lobo as “dangerous” due to the severity of injuries. Photos of Sniadach’s injuries, which were presented by his daughter, showed severe bleeding along his arms and wrists and a deep cut near his eye. The Selectboard explained Monday that changing the designation from “dangerous” to “nuisance” has no legal impact.
“I did not know things would turn out this way,” Luo said. “It’s over now.”
The Selectboard voted 2-0 to amend the ruling — Chair Tom Fydenkevez was absent on Monday — and noted the town can act on any further complaints about Lobo.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or
413-930-4081.