Silver Creek supervisors ask attorney to draft stricter dog‑barking rule after resident complaints

The Silver Creek Township Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 6 to ask the chairman and the township attorney to draft an amendment to the township’s dog ordinance after neighbors complained of persistent barking.

During the public comment period a homeowner at 12946 County Rd 8 said the barking "was getting worse," adding that the neighbor’s dogs bark at all hours and that the noise had affected their family’s quality of life. A homeowner at 12986 County Rd 8 told the board those dogs are used to protect sheep, that fences have been erected to keep the dogs on their property, and that they believed barking had decreased.

Board members reviewed sample ordinances from Southside, Clearwater and Rockford Townships. Supervisors Ryan Nelson and Andy Christensen said they favored Clearwater’s approach, which limits late‑night barking. Nelson moved and Christensen seconded a motion directing Chair Mike Helman to work with the township attorney to draft an amendment prohibiting dogs from barking during overnight hours; the motion passed 4‑0. The motion as recorded asked the attorney to evaluate a ban between either 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; the board said the attorney should set the final hours in the draft.

The board plans to consider the attorney’s proposed language at its first meeting in February; if the attorney cannot present the draft then, the board will set a later date for review and a decision on whether to post the amendment for public comment and a final vote. No legal citations or enforcement protocols were specified at the meeting.