While many people love dogs, not everyone loves hearing their neighbor’s dogs barking all day.
At last week’s Revere City Council meeting, Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya introduced an order asking that city officials direct the animal control officer and Revere police officers to proactively enforce all applicable state laws and city ordinances regarding excessive and habitual dog barking that disturbs the peace and quiet enjoyment of neighboring properties.
The motion further asks that officers be authorized to issue warnings, citations, and fines, where appropriate, to property owners who repeatedly allow dogs to bark continuously after complaints have been made in an effort to address the ongoing neighborhood nuisance and improve residents’ quality of life.
Under the Revere city ordinances, Guarino-Sawaya said dog owners are prohibited from allowing their dogs to disturb the peace and quiet enjoyment of any residential neighborhood.
“Now, I’m a dog owner and I love dogs; I understand they bark, but when you are continuously leaving your dog outside all day, all night, not even caring, it becomes very bad for the neighborhood,” she said. “We have neighbors, they can’t sleep. Some of them work during the day, they can’t work; some of them work during the night, they can’t sleep.
“When an owner refuses to address the problem, then there is something that needs to be done,” Guarino-Sawaya continued. “We deserve to be able to be in our homes in a peaceful environment. Maybe if the dog officer, or even the police officers who are called started issuing citations that would perhaps help the situation.”
Councillor-at-Large Joanne McKenna noted that she believes there is a law that when a dog is left outside, it has to have a doghouse or other shelter.
“You can call the MSPCA (Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and report them and they’ll come down and they will fine them,” said McKenna.
In other business, Guarino-Sawaya filed a motion asking that the mayor look into establishing a program for the retrieval of shopping carts in the city.
McKenna noted that she has been working with the public works department and large retailers in the city for the retrieval of the carts. She suggested that anyone who spots them call the public works department or 311 so they can be picked up or removed.