MASSACHUSETTS -- A Marshfield couple found they were barking up the wrong tree after they tried to overturn a decision by selectmen forcing them to get rid of their five Tibetan mastiffs.
A Plymouth District Court magistrate judge denied a request for relief from the board’s order made by Steven and Susana Griffin, of 147 Telegraph Hill Road, at a June 13 hearing.
“They couldn’t prove that (the order) was made in bad faith,” said Town Manager Rocco Longo of the ruling.
The decision affirms the selectmen’s April orders for the Griffins to find a new home for the Tibetan mastiffs – animals historically kept as guard dogs – because they were unable to control their loud, incessant barking.
The board first heard neighbors’ complaints about the dogs at a December 2011 hearing and ordered the couple to abide by eight conditions, including making the dogs wear bark collars, limiting their time spent outdoors and installing a higher fence.
At the April 8 selectmen’s meeting, Marshfield police Chief Phil Tavares said his department had received numerous complaints from neighbors since those orders were put in place, and that seven of those eight orders had been violated.
The Griffins have 10 days to appeal the decision.
(The Patriot Ledger - Jun 19, 2013)
