Board members present were Supervisor Joseph P. (Joe Pete) Wilson, Ann Hough, Chris Daly and Teresa Cheetham-Palen. Town Clerk Ann Whitney, Dog Control Officer Emily Whitney and Town Attorney Liam Kennelly were also present.

“Section 9- Leash” proved to be the most controversial part of the proposed law.

Barbara Dumas, an attendee, said she was always under the impression that there was already a leash law in place in Keene.

Local Law 1 for 1998, “A local law relating to the keeping or running at large of dogs and the seizure thereof,” which is still in effect, calls for leashing in some situations. The new leash law, as proposed by the town board, is stricter and more explicit.

The proposed leash law forbids unleashed dogs “to be on any street or other public place in the town of Keene.” A leash is not to exceed 12 feet in length.

Anyone who the dog control officer or other authorized officer reasonably believes has violated the leash ordinance is to be served with an appearance ticket — to appear in court. If convicted, this person “shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $250 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 15 days.”

Wilson told the gathering he sees the revised leash law as preventive, and that he was concerned about DCO Whitney’s report from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 6, which states she had 52 calls in 10 months, “33 of which were related to off leash scenarios.” He also said a “housing crisis” exists for sheltering seized dogs, as the SPCA, with whom the town contracts, will no longer take in dogs, and that he believes the proposed leash law will alleviate this problem.

Carter Gill, an attendee at the hearing, said when he moved to the Adirondacks, “It was not to keep a dog on a leash 24/7. Walking through town I can understand,” Gill told the board. “But if the law passes, are you going to designate a place where I can throw the ball? Can we meet halfway? We need to have a compromise. It hurts the community if you can’t enjoy the outdoors, and the dog’s quality of life is diminished.”

Emily Whitney said no one was going to seize a dog that was just chasing a ball with its owner. “Yes, but that’s the law,” objected Gill.

Doug White said he liked to let his dog run around and chase a ball on Marcy Field when the field was not being used, and called the proposed leash law “too extreme.” David LeClair agreed.

Jeannie Cross countered “I support a leash law. I’ve had two dogs attacked by two unleashed dogs owned by local people.” Her dogs were leashed at the time and in her own driveway, she said, and one had a bite on the head that required a veterinarian’s care.

“I don’t think this is hard,” she continued. “Be neighborly. This is helpful to humans and dogs.”

Rusty Hall spoke, saying that his wife had been the victim of a dog attack. “I think we need to have a leash law, and we need to have a dog control officer,” he said.

Several people, including Barbara Dumas, called the fine and imprisonment penalties “too harsh” and “heavy handed” when applied to violation of the proposed leash law. Dumas asked for “moderation and common sense,” saying “I would definitely like to see a leash law, but I think we need to concentrate on keeping your dog under control at all times. We need a leash law that suits the needs of our own unique community and not cut and pasted from the leash laws of neighboring towns.”

Ben Stechschulte asked Whitney if a shock collar would be allowed in place of a collar. The answer was no. He then said that if there could be a time and place allowed for dogs to exercise and play unleashed, “that would solve a lot of problems.”

Attendees did not dispute the changes in the licensing of dogs, once Town Clerk Ann Whitney had corrected an error in the draft of the proposed law. The draft stipulates that the licensing fee for a spayed or neutered dog will be $25, and the fee for an unspayed or unneutered dog will be $50. Town Clerk Whitney said the fees will actually be $6 for a spayed or neutered dog and $13 for an unspayed or unneutered dog. The license would be valid for two years, rather than for one year as it presently stands.

Wilson and Daly voted to adopt the proposed law. Teresa Cheetham-Palen and Ann Hough voted no.

“I want to absorb the feedback,” Cheetham-Palen said.

Wilson said that scheduling a second public hearing, with Deputy Supervisor Robert Biesemeyer present, might break the tie.

Noreen McCarthy, who attended the hearing, made the following remarks: “I commend Ann Hough and Teresa Palen for voting against a poorly drafted law that criminalizes such harmless conduct as throwing a ball for your dog on Marcy Field or skiing with your dog off-leash on the Jack Rabbit trail, despite that no one else is around and the dog is under your complete control. For each instance you will be subject to up to 15 days in jail — no exception. Ann and Teresa recognize that we already have a leash law in Keene, which has been in effect since 1998, and that the proposed law will detract from our quality of life and our ability to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. They recognize that the complete ban on off-leash dogs is unnecessary — the animal control officer acknowledged that she has not needed to issue a single appearance ticket under the current law. We should be grateful to have such thoughtful and conscientious council members, who refuse to cave to the pressure of a few misguided residents. Educating the public about our existing laws would be far better for our community than the proposed complete ban.”

The board scheduled a public hearing to revisit the proposed new local dog control law for 5:30 p.m., Feb. 25.