A judge has ordered the pit bulls involved in a December attack on a smaller dog in Wiscasset to be permanently confined to a secure enclosure and muzzled when off the owner’s property.
Robin Standring, 50, of Wiscasset, pleaded guilty to two counts of keeping a dangerous dog, both civil infractions, at the Lincoln County Courthouse on Feb. 27. Standring was ordered to pay $590.40 in restitution and $500 in fines.
The pit bulls, Jasper and Buddha, were ordered to be permanently confined to a secure enclosure, except when necessary. When outside of a secure enclosure, the dogs must be muzzled and restricted by a leash that is not more than 3 feet long and can hold a strength of 300 pounds, according to court records.
Two additional charges of allowing a dog to be at large were dismissed as a result of the plea, according to court records. In December, the two pit bulls escaped from Standring’s yard on Ward Brook Road and attacked a neighbor’s dog.
The pit bulls bit a bystander that attempted to intervene, and she required transport to the hospital. The veterinary bill for the smaller dog ‘s injuries was about $575.
The December attack resulted in a meeting of Ward Brook Road residents with the Wiscasset Police Department where residents expressed concern about safety in the neighborhood.
The meeting prompted Wiscasset Police Chief Jeff Lange to request the development of a “disorderly housing” ordinance, which Lange said would enable the town and landlords to take action against households and tenants that have been a frequent source of police calls.
The ordinance is currently in development in the ordinance review committee and will soon be brought before selectmen for approval, Town Planner Ben Averill said. If approved by selectmen, the ordinance will then go to voters at the annual town meeting in June.
