Fond du Lac residents press council over dangerous dog; council moves to closed session on Elm Acres nuisance

Residents of Elm Acres Drive told the Fond du Lac City Council on Jan. 8 that a neighbor’s dog has repeatedly attacked pets and threatened people, and they urged the council to remove the animal from the city. After more than a dozen public comments on the issue, the council voted to adjourn into closed session to consult legal counsel about “possible litigation, public nuisance” at Elm Acres Drive.

The complaints included descriptions of a lethal attack in August 2024 and multiple subsequent incidents. John Oberg, who identified himself as an Elm Acres resident, said, "I think something should be done about it." Peggy Cheechak described repeated attacks and threatening behavior she attributed to the dog’s owners and said, "We tremble. We are afraid. We are hostages of our neighborhood."

Another resident, Nancy Reilbeck Thomas, said the dog, identified in public comments as "Duke," had killed a dog named Bailey in August and that an owner responded by saying the death was "good," a remark Thomas characterized as unacceptable. Jim Thomas, who also spoke, urged enforcement of municipal codes and said the neighborhood has taken extra precautions while awaiting official action.

Council members did not take new policy action in open session. Instead, a motion to adjourn to closed session “to confer with legal counsel regarding possible litigation” related to a public-nuisance matter at Elm Acres Drive was made by Council member Schusser and seconded by Council member Mullen. Chief Goldstein was noted as expected to be present for the closed session. The council proceeded to vote and adjourned; the transcript records the motion and that the council adjourned but does not provide a roll-call tally in the public record.

Discussion versus formal action: the public comments and residents’ requests were part of the meeting’s audience-comments period and therefore constituted public input and testimony, not a council decision. The only formal action recorded on the Elm Acres matter in the public minutes was the council’s motion to move to closed session to consult legal counsel about possible litigation and a public-nuisance complaint.

Background and next steps: residents repeatedly asked the council and law enforcement to take action after the August 2024 incident they described. The council’s closed-session vote indicates that council members sought legal advice before making any additional public rulings or enforcement actions; because closed sessions are not public, the transcript does not record the council’s deliberations or any subsequent decisions taken in private.

For the record: the speakers who publicly addressed Elm Acres during the meeting were identified in the transcript as residents of Elm Acres Drive: John Oberg; Peggy Cheechak; Nancy Reilbeck Thomas; Jim Thomas; Chad Monge. The formal motion to move to closed session was made by Council member Schusser and seconded by Council member Mullen; Chief Goldstein was listed as expected to attend the closed session.

Votes and formal outcomes on this topic are limited to the motion to go into closed session; any other enforcement or legal steps, if taken, would appear in later public minutes or filings.