Orfordville couple ordered to remove dogs
ORFORDVILLE — An Orfordville couple fighting the village to keep nine dogs in their home received a court order Monday to remove most of their pets.
Gary Anliker and Jeanne Tomlin were ordered to have a maximum of three dogs at their home at 308 Olson Drive. They must remove the other dogs by July 23.
Village ordinance allows homes to have three dogs, but Anliker and Tomlin have had as many as 10. Police have ticketed the couple at least 19 times, and neighbors have complained about barking.
Anliker and Tomlin asked the village for a kennel license to keep their dogs, but that request was denied. The couple appealed the village’s decision to Rock County Court and lost.
The village then filed a complaint in Rock County Court seeking an order to remove the pets. The couple fought the village, but Judge Daniel Dillon issued the order.
The complaint states that owning a large number of dogs is “detrimental to healthful and comfortable life.” It states the dogs have “interfered with the neighbors’ quality of life and their safety due to the dogs barking and getting loose.”
Anliker and Tomlin couldn’t be reached for comment, but Anliker said in December the couple gradually added dogs to their family. They have several varieties of terriers, a Chihuahua, a miniature pinscher and husky mixes.
Anliker said he wouldn’t back down, and that the couple has had dogs in their house for years.
“I don’t think they have the right to tell me I can’t have these animals in my house,” Anliker said. “Do we live in a dictatorship here where we get told what we can and can’t do?”
Anliker said he would never give up his dogs, regardless of how his court battle turns out.
“I’d rather sell my house and move somewhere out in the country,” he said.
Jul 3, 2010 at 12:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
I need some of those Huskies in my woods, it is loaded with feral cats. Those cats have wiped out all the songbirds that used to be here.
Jul 3, 2010 at 12:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
This couple is barking mad!
Jul 3, 2010 at 12:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
I have seen this so many times. People get a thought in their head, which is ultimately unreasonable, but they can't see it. In this case this couple sees it as them being good caretakers of animals they feel are well managed within their home. What they fail to see is that we all occupy the same villages, towns etc and we must have lines drawn in order to maintain civil order.
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I'm sure they feel like 'the man' is trying to tell them what to do, but Tomlin and Anliker.....you are being unreasonable regardless of your love for animals.
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Ask yourselves a question: What if you won this fight? Would other houses take advantage of this and have many dogs in their homes too? What if not all of them were as responsible as you feel you are? Forget 'dictatorships', it would be a community-mess. That's why there are limits. You are ultimately being rude to everyone else. Give up the battle and find other homes for some of these dogs and obey the same rules the rest of us!
Jul 3, 2010 at 10:02 a.m.
Suggest removal
This failure to comply with the law is an outrage. The good people of Orfordville will spend tens of thousands of dollars on a couple of boneheads who don't know how to count. These people are stealing from every man, woman, and child in Orfordville. They are so stupid that they are even stealing from themselves.
Jul 2, 2010 at 4:32 p.m.
Suggest removal
“I’d rather sell my house and move somewhere out in the country,” he said.
Well, that may be good in theory, BUT, there are limits in townships too. It's not all "I get to move out to the country and do what I want."
First,out in the country we CONTROL our animals. Animals that aren't controlled disappear. They run away or end up as road meat.
Looking at the breeds of the dogs- terriers and husky mixes- they seem poor candidates for country dogs. Huskies are notorious cat/chicken killers. Terriers and Chihuahuas are tasty coyote snacks.
Either way, animals of irresponsible owners suffer.
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