Marblehead selectmen rule troublesome dog must stay on leash

MARBLEHEAD – Selectmen gave a dog a break Wednesday night.Geeno, a 5-year-old German Shepherd owned by Kenneth Harvey, may stay in Marblehead as long as his owner keeps him on a leash when he is outside his home and sends him to a kennel when he is away. Harvey will also keep Geeno muzzled for the next month as a test period.On Jan. 6, Geeno bit the hand of Janet Moore when she attempted to pull him away during an attack on her small dog.Harvey, his lawyer, Dan Smith, and dog trainer and Middleton kennel owner Michael Citro testified about the dog Wednesday night.Citro said he has known Harvey and the dog for two years and while Geeno is dog-aggressive he is not aggressive toward people.At the time of the Jan. 6 incident Geeno was not on a leash. Citro said when he heard that, “I wanted to hit (Harvey) with a frying pan.” For the past month Geeno has been in further training at Citro’s kennel, along with Harvey. “He’s fine,” Citro said of the dog.Harvey admitted that he made mistakes in the Jan. 6 incident and two previous incidents in which the dog was in the care of another person.Citro suggested a one-month trial period with the muzzle since muzzles can make dogs more aggressive toward people.Animal Control Officer Betsy Tufts said she valued Citro’s opinion.Selectman William Woodfin made the motion to allow Geeno to stay in Marblehead, as long as he was muzzled for the next month and constantly on a leash when he left home. “If Geeno comes back here before us again I will make the motion to euthanize him,” he warned Harvey.