A county mediator next week will try to work out differences between a partially deaf woman in Forest Knolls, who counts on her dog to alert her to door knocks and phone rings, and her neighbors, who think the dog barks too much.
After neighbors complained to deputies two weeks ago about Jake disturbing Tamal Road residents, a Humane Society officer impounded the fox terrier and issued his owner, Linda Schubert-Mitchell, a citation. Schubert-Mitchell got Jake back the next day and said she is angry about what happened.
"This is the country. It isn't an apartment we live in. I have three acres," Schubert-Mitchell said, speculating that the controversy may have more to do with a neighbor she doesn't get along with.
Schubert-Mitchell said she is hearing impaired and that her dog, while not professionally trained to do so, alerts her to someone at the door or when there is an emergency.
"If the phone rings he comes and lets me know," Schubert-Mitchell said. "He'll come and get me if one of the kids has fallen down and is crying."
Schubert-Mitchell, who's hearing was damaged in a 1980 car accident in the Valley, said she wears a hearing aid and can hear Jake bark.
"Jake barks very, very seldom," Schubert-Mitchell said. "He barked at the sheriff. He was doing what he was supposed to do."
Deputy Rich Todt said the day before Jake was impounded, two neighbors "way down the road" called about dog's barking. Todt left a notice for Jake's owner to contact him.
When at Schubert-Mitchell's home to talk with her the next day, she wasn't home and Jake wasn't barking, Todt said. The deputy got a call while at the home, he said, and Jake started barking. After Todt left the gate, the barking continued for 30 minutes until the dog was impounded.
Jake's barking has been an ongoing problem in the neighborhood for several years, Todt said. Several neighbors have complained about Jake when Schubert-Mitchell apparently leaves him home alone.
Schubert-Mitchell, however, countered that Jake stays with her 90 percent of the time and that "there were complaints about Jake barking when he was at the vet being groomed. There are at least 40 dogs on this road."
Among the neighbors who have complained that Jake makes too much noise are Debra and Larry Redalia. "Calling the sheriff has been a last resort," the couple told The Light. "We don't want her dog confiscated. We just don't want it to bark for hours when we are trying to sleep or work at home.
"We didn't call the sheriff on the day the dog was cited. Three other surrounding neighbors called during a six-hour period when the dog was barking."
According to the Redalias, only a few stray minutes of barking have been heard since Jake has been back in town. "Apparently impounding the dog was what was needed to get [Schubert-Mitchell's] attention. Obviously is it possible for her to control the dog's barking when she wants to."