UPPER POTTSGROVE >> It might be time for some dog owners in the township to invest in muzzles.
At its May 16 meeting, the board of commissioners unanimously adopted an amendment to the dog ordinance making it easier for police to cite the owners of constantly barking dogs.
“The big difference is that it makes a provision to declare a dog’s prolonged barking a nuisance,” explained Township Manager Carol Lewis.
According to the amendment, residents disturbed by constant “barking, howling, yelping or making other loud noises” can ask township police to issue a written warning to the dog owners.
If the dog continues to disturb the neighborhood after the warning is issued, it’s a violation and the dog is declared a nuisance.
“This gives the police the ability to more easily issue a citation,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the law is not necessarily driven by complaints made throughout 2014 by the neighbor of an Orlando Road residence that was home to about 20 dogs.
“Certainly, the ordinance would apply to them, but we have been getting a lot of dog complaints from all over town lately,” said Lewis.
“In the last month we’ve had 10 dog complaints, and the Orlando Road site was not one of them,” she said.
Prior to this amendment being adopted, police had to document that a dog barked uninterrupted for 15 minutes before a citation could be issued.
