Judge Grants Continuance In Barking Dog Dispute

Residents of a south Valley neighborhood will have to wait a little longer to resolve a dog-barking dispute that has some emotionally on edge.

A District Court judge granted a 30-day continuance in the case last Thursday. An attorney representing dog owners Leslie Stevenson and Mitchell Wasson asked for the continuance to give a mediator time to help the neighbors work out their differences.

Stevenson and Wasson were each cited twice on Nov. 14 after neighbor Carol Woodward complained that Stevenson’s beagle and Wasson’s golden retrievers barked excessively.

The alleged violations occurred over the last two months, according to county animal control records.

Stevenson and Wasson are considering other options, including mediation, and will also ask Woodward to drop the charges if the dispute can be resolved out of court. The three live in the 14200 block of East 25th Avenue.

“We’re going to offer her a chance to go to mediation, drop the charges and work this out like real neighbors,” Stevenson said.

“We’ll try anything,” Wasson added.

Woodward said she just wants the problem solved and has not had time to decide if mediation is the answer.

“I can’t say yes it is or no it isn’t,” Woodward said. “I’d need some time to think about it.”

Previous attempts to settle the problem between neighbors have been unsuccessful, Woodward said.

, DataTimes