Who let the dogs out? Complete frustration over loose dogs at The Campville Commons

By Matt Freeze —

An Owego man recently told the Town of Owego Council that he has completely had it with loose dogs running from the Campville Commons onto his property. 

Tom Henderson, whose property is adjacent to the Campville Commons, told the town council that he’s tired of having loose dogs come onto his property. 

Henderson said Park Supervisor Phil Baker has been very helpful and suggested signage, but Henderson said more needs to be done. 

“It’s not just one or two instances; it’s nonstop,” he said. “It’s to the point where my wife and I are talking in the back of the property, and dogs come up to us. I’ve been bowhunting back there and had a dog run up to me.”

Henderson said he recently spoke to one of his neighbors, who told him that her dog was attacked by a loose dog from the park. 

Henderson said that while he’s appreciative of the effort to put up signs indicating that dogs need to be leashed, more needs to be done. 

“It’s just that this has been going on for two years,” he said. “They’re playing disc golf throughout the woods [at the park] and then they’re running all over my property. I’m at a point of complete frustration. My property needs to be respected. I don’t know what the town can do, but I said originally when everybody went into the woods that there were going to be issues, and now here we are, how many years later, and now I’m dealing with dogs.”

Henderson said he will defend his property, family, and dogs by any means necessary. 

“I just want to be on the record that I have brought the issue to the town,” he said. “I love dogs – it’s the last thing I’d want to do, but I’m not gonna let anybody in my household be attacked by a dog.” 

Something has to change, he said. 

“I’m not here [at the meeting] because I’m bored,” he said. “I don’t enjoy public speaking, but it’s to the point now where this is out of control. It is absolutely out of control.”

Town Supervisor Don Castellucci said he will have the dog warden get involved and patrol the park. 

“I have pictures of dogs just free roaming,” Henderson said. “If my dogs were going on town property, the town would approach me, and it’d be a non-starter. So, as a property owner next to the town park, I’m hoping the town backs me on this.”

Castellucci said the town and state have laws on the books that state dogs need to be under control or on a leash, and that it just needs to be enforced, and people need to be made aware of the issue.