Court to decide fate of Lynn pit bulls

LYNN – A Beacon Hill Avenue woman is waiting to see if she will have another day in court to save her two pit bulls from being banned from Lynn or destroyed following a Sept. 17 attack on another dog.Judge Ellen Flatley listened Friday afternoon to city attorney Vincent Phelan’s argument in favor of banning Cheryl Fornier’s dogs and took the case under advisement.Flatley gave both sides one week to submit proposed written findings. She is expected to come to a decision by Dec. 12.In the meantime, both pit bulls have been ordered muzzled.The city moved to ban pit bulls Rocco and Raina from the city or order them destroyed.Fornier appealed the ban and an October clerk magistrate’s hearing set the stage for Friday’s proceeding.Midnight, a black Labrador/bloodhound mix, sustained a bite requiring stitches, and city officials sought the ban under state law. Midnight’s owner Laurie George was also bitten.George on Wednesday said she accepted a payment from Fornier’s attorney to cover her dog’s medical bills.”I did get $200 today from her attorney in cash. I did sign a waiver saying I wouldn’t sue her. I am going to court because, from what I understand, the dog has a taste of blood and he may attack more and I can’t have that on my conscience,” George told The Item.Laurie testified Friday in court along with Deputy Police Chief Kenneth Santoro who said he ordered the dogs banned because they attacked another animal and were not properly restrained.”I’m not going to sit back if a vicious dog perpetrates a vicious attack,” Santoro said.Item Reporter Robin Kaminski contributed to this report.