Maybe you should give this article to the HOA, Neighbor and lawyer... granted I think it is unfair for the dog in the article but the womans lost her cat
HAMPTON FALLS - A golden retriever is charged with being a vicious animal after it ran into an adjacent yard on Merchant Way and allegedly killed a neighbor’s cat.
Two golden retrievers chased after the cat, which was in its own yard, said Police Chief Robbie Dirsa. No one saw the dogs kill the cat, but one golden retriever brought the dead cat home, he said.
This dog, a 12-year-old golden retriever is charged with being vicious. Because this is the dog’s first offense, the animal will not be put down, Dirsa said.
The town follows state law that establishes a "three-strikes" policy.
"It would have to do a couple more things; not necessarily kill." Dirsa said.
The owner, Lisa Lee, of 8 Merchant Road, is also charged with having a dog at large for the second golden retriever that was seen running after the cat.
The day after the March 31 incident, Lee was again charged with allowing the two golden retrievers to run loose. She was fined $100 on the vicious dog charge and given three summons of $25 each on the charges of having dogs at large.
Lee paid the total $175 fine on Monday, said Dirsa. She is not required to go to court.
The town follows state law in requiring dog owners to leash or restrain their pets, Dirsa said.
The cat owner is very upset, Dirsa said. She declined comment, but the cat was 4 years old and a rare breed called a Scottish Fold, Dirsa said.
Police went to the house about 3 p.m. on March 31. A Merchant Way neighbor saw the dogs chasing after something, but wasn’t sure what it was, Dirsa said.
Another neighbor saw the dog emerge from the yard with the cat in its mouth.
Cats are pretty much allowed to run free and are not required to be licensed, Dirsa said. This cat was in its own yard and the dogs trespassed, according to the police report.
Dirsa said pet owners should be warned that New Hampshire law allows homeowners to shoot to kill animals deemed a threat on their property.
According to an Associated Press report, a Seattle court last year awarded $45,000 in damages to a 71-year-old woman who sued her neighbor after his dog killed her cat. Paula Roemer’s 12-year-old cat, Yofi, was killed in her back yard in February 2004 by her neighbor’s chow. Roemer said her cat’s death left her with sleep disturbances, panic attacks, depression and caused her to begin smoking heavily. The court set damages at $30,000 for the pet’s special value and $15,000 for emotional distress.
"I think people need to keep their dogs tied up and on leashes," Dirsa said. "It really does affect the neighbors. They may have the best-natured dogs. This was a cat. It could have been a child or anything else in its path."
This is not the first incident of a dog becoming vicious in a pursuit of a cat, Dirsa said. In another incident, a pit bull ran into a house after a cat. The homeowner managed to stop the dog from killing the cat by beating the animal with a shovel
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/04112006/news/97183.htm
