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Select Board orders owner of dog Gia to install self-closing gates, continues hearing for three months
Summary
At its May 27 meeting the Charlton Select Board heard a dangerous-dog complaint about Gia, owned by Maureen McGinty, and voted that the owner install self-closing gate mechanisms and return in three months to report results; the board noted the animal control officer's report of multiple previous incidents and a veterinary visit.
The Charlton Select Board on May 27 voted that the owner of a dog named Gia must install self-closing gate mechanisms and return to the board in roughly three months for follow-up after a complaint that Gia attacked a neighbor dog.
The decision came after testimony from the complainant and the town's animal control officer about multiple prior incidents and a report that a neighbor’s dog required emergency veterinary care. The board voted to continue the hearing for a three-month review period and required the owner to notify the animal control officer when required safeguards are in place.
Animal Control Officer Emily Sears told the Select Board she was notified on March (date in file) by the complainant, Bill LePage of 168 Berry Corner Road, that his dog was attacked. Sears said the dog was identified as Gia, owned by Maureen McGinty of 185 Berry Corner Road. “Gia was put on a 10 day quarantine, and miss McGinty was given a running at large first offense citation,” Sears said. Sears reported previous quarantines after scuffles in 2023 and 2024 and said the most recent incident led the LePages to seek emergency veterinary care for their dog.
Complainant Bill LePage described repeated incidents and said his wife witnessed the most recent attack. “Multiple attacks by the same dog. My wife was there both times while I was either at work or in the hospital this last time. She was unable to break up the dog fight on her own,” LePage said. He told the board the family wanted “something's actually measurable, concrete” to prevent further attacks.
Owner Maureen McGinty said she was remorseful and described steps she has taken. She told the board she installed a fence in 2023, had paid the vet bill for the injured dog and fired the dog sitter she said had left a gate open. “I now have a padlock. So there's 2 gates. There's a gate in the front and a gate in the back. It's fully fenced in the entire yard,” McGinty said. She said she has sought training for Gia and that Gia had been rescued from the streets in Georgia as a young dog.
When board members asked about further containment measures, Animal Control Officer Sears recommended self-closing mechanisms and noted other precautions such as padlocks or carabiners as additional steps to reduce the risk of escape. A board member moved that the homeowner implement self-closing gates and that the board continue the hearing for three months to monitor whether additional incidents occur; a second was recorded and the motion passed.
The board recorded that McGinty had voluntarily paid the veterinary expenses in the most recent case and directed that she notify the animal control officer once the gates are fitted with self-closing devices so the town can confirm compliance. The board's action is recorded as a continued hearing with conditions; it did not order euthanasia or other removal of the animal at this meeting.
The Select Board will revisit the matter at the continued hearing in approximately three months; the owner must notify Animal Control Officer Emily Sears when required measures are in place so the town can verify compliance.
