N. Fayette Pet Owner Angry After Judge Levies Hefty Fine Over Too Many Dogs
NORTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A judge levied a fine against a local man in court Tuesday who is accused of having too many dogs on his property.
The district judge ordered Gary Guyaux to pay $1,500 in fines for violating North Fayette Township's dog law. But Guyaux immediately denounced the ruling, launching into an angry speech in the courtroom about his rights.
Some neighbors who live near the North Fayette border with McDonald on Noblestown Road say they hear the sounds of barking dogs at various times of the day and night because there are more dogs at Guyaux's property than the law allows.
North Fayette Township permits four dogs, but in court, the township claimed the defendant himself at one point admitted to having 22.
Even though Guyaux has installed a higher fence, some of the dogs could be seen his property Tuesday afternoon.
But at the hearing, the township produced pictures from February, as one example, showing 10 dogs on the property. Other photos showed 14 dogs in another instance.
They also produced a picture from April showing 16 dogs.
Guyaux and his lawyer argued all this was set in motion by his own lawsuit against the township and individual spats with neighbors.
"They won't leave me alone," said Guyaux. "I got a crazy neighbor that's been causing trouble since 1967. Yes, I do have dogs. I have more than what the township supposedly does. I say they're violating my civil rights."
But District Judge Anthony Saveikis wasn't impressed. He imposed a $1,500 fine, which set off the angry response and a look back at the history of the case from Guyaux's point of view.
After the hearing, Harold Hayes asked Guyaux: "When the judge said $1,500 you said, 'Might as well make it a million.' What did you mean by that?"
Guyaux: "Cause they had one set of fines they were talking about, it was $1,800 to $1,850 a day per dog. Another set of fines, $500 a day per dog, another set of fines $300 dollars a day per dog. That's been going on since last October. It's gotta be in excess of a million dollars."
This is not Guyaux's only case. Cases filed by Animal Friends are on appeal and potential new cases are pending.
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