April 09, 2008 07:20 am It's been a rough few weeks for the Rowley selectmen, but in the end they did the right thing — they reversed their decision to put Niko, a black Labrador dog, to death for killing a neighbor's pet goat and injuring two other goats. The dog was found in the goat's pen in February, and under advice from the town's animal control officer, selectmen initially decided to have the dog euthanized. The dog's owner, Mike Passanisi, appealed the decision to Newburyport District Court, where it was slated to be heard later this month. In their decision this week, selectmen acknowledged there simply wasn't enough evidence to say convincingly that the dog killed the goat. But perhaps more importantly, selectmen decided it wasn't worth the legal fight the town faced. The cost in money, anguish and time would have been high. Instead, they opted for an out-of-court settlement that requires the dog be leashed whenever he is being walked, and kept "under control at all times." To that end, the dog's owner is required to build for Niko a fenced-in area, which he has just about completed. That certainly is a reasonable punishment. There was a measure of reconciliation that came out of this settlement. One selectman followed Passanisi out of the meeting room to shake his hand in friendship. Another commented on how difficult the decision had been. And Passanisi was grateful his dog would be spared. The board won high praise from Passanisi's lawyer, Jeremy Cohen. "They should be commended," Cohen said, "just for listening and saying, we have to re-examine things." Indeed they should. The initial decision was too rigid and too polarizing. Selectmen acted for the good of townspeople when they decided to settle. Sadly, one family has lost a cherished pet goat and has gone through a lot of public anguish. Hopefully this puts an end to this incident.
Our view: Another way to express yourself The Daily News inaugurated a new feature on its Web site (www.newburyportnews.com) this week. At the bottom of every story, editorial, column or letter to the editor, there's a place for readers to post their comments. Based on the traffic already, we believe this feature is going to be a popular one. Posters can remain anonymous, we only ask that they provide us with their e-mail address for verification and that they maintain a civil tone. We hope that this becomes yet another popular forum for community dialogue. But we'd also encourage those so inclined to continue using our Opinion page to get their views before the public. The anonymity offered by Internet message boards and the phone-in lines maintained by some newspapers have their place in this age of freewheeling debate. But there's still nothing so powerful as a signed statement of opinion.
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