Swampscott Declares Dogs 'Dangerous'

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott board of selectmen declared three dogs "dangerous" Wednesday in the town's first-ever dangerous dog hearing. The three pit bulls will be confined to a Puritan Lane family's home while the town determines what corrective actions they need to take. Selectmen will vote on that order next week.

Wednesday's hearing centered on three dogs owned by Glenn and Irene Schwartz of Puritan Lane. The dogs were accused of attacking two dogs in separate incidents in November and December as their owners walked by the Schwartz's home.

In a statement to the selectmen earlier this month, resident Angela O'Brien said her dog was attacked by three pit bulls as she and a friend walked on Puritan Lane on Nov. 13. O'Brien said it took the owners five minutes to come out after they started screaming for help, and another five minutes to separate the dogs.

Then on December 24, another resident Alice Goldsmith called 911 when two pit bulls attacked her dog as she walked on Puritan Lane. Both women recounted their stories to selectmen during the board's Jan. 8 meeting. "We think other residents and neighbors deserve to know that this threat exists," O'Brien said, adding she no longer walks on Puritan Lane.