LEVERETT — Two dogs will have to be on leashes when they are off their property and remain on runs or in enclosures at all other times when outdoors after being declared a nuisance by the Selectboard at its Oct. 21 meeting.
The board, in a unanimous vote, issued an order that Walter and Django, owned by Julie Patterson of Ryans Hill Road, be better controlled.
The decision came at the end of an hourlong dog hearing prompted by a Sept. 22 incident in which a woman walking on the discontinued Old Whitney Road, part of a conservation area off Rattlesnake Gutter Road, was bitten on the upper left thigh, suffering a large bruise.
“I think that any dog that bites a human is a dangerous dog,” said Selectboard Chair Patricia Duffy.
While Duffy sought more stringent measures, including having the dogs wear muzzles when off site, her colleagues, Tom Hankinson and Jed Proujansky, suggested some moderation, such as better training.
Patterson was on a bicycle at the time of the incident and had the dogs under voice command when they charged at Jesse Rose, who said it was “very frightening, very scary.” Rose isn’t sure which dog attacked her, but the injury has prevented her from teaching yoga classes.
Since the incident, Patterson said she is no longer riding her bicycle when accompanying the dogs out.
“I feel like it’s an awful thing and hope we can put it behind us,” Patterson said.
Hillary Szteliga, regional animal control officer for Leverett, said an investigation determined the dogs were not licensed and that Patterson was in violation of a bylaw requiring them to be under voice command.
Szteliga said the dogs have been licensed since the biting incident and no additional problems have occurred in the past month.
“It has stopped since the incident,” Szteliga said.
New fire chief
In other business, the Selectboard agreed to enter into negotiations with Michael Visniewski, the deputy chief of Amherst Fire Department’s call force and a lieutenant with the Leverett force, to become the next fire chief. The decision was made in a 2-0 vote, with Proujansky abstaining.
Duffy said it is important to fill the position “for morale and to help the town fulfill its need for a fire chief.” Hankinson, too, said the town has a good candidate.
Proujansky, on the other hand, said his preference is to advertise for the position again and that there is not consensus in the community for the two finalists who were interviewed to succeed Brian Cook, who left in June. The position is advertised with a salary of between $75,000 and $81,000.
The department is currently being led on an interim basis by Deputy Fire Chief Amy Rice.
