It's a dog-eat-dog world. And Dennis Connor knows that better than most. For the last 27 years Connor has held the position of Dog Control Officer (DCO) for the Town of Wawarsing.

But lately, it isn't the dogs that are giving him trouble - it's people.

Over the past year, the issues of jurisdiction and legal responsibility have been a public source of contention between the Village of Ellenville, the Town of Wawarsing and Connor.

The village's dissatisfaction with Connor's service has a long history. Letters from the year 2000 between former Wawarsing Town Supervisor Richard Craft and then Ellenville Mayor T.J. Briggs admit to an undesirable state of affairs. More documentation of the continuing rift between town and village appears in 2005 when village attorney, Phil Cataldi, wrote a two-page letter enumerating the job's responsibilities.

There appears to be a fundamental disagreement about just what exactly a town dog control officer is supposed to do. The powers and responsibilities of such a position are laid out in Article 7, Section 118 of New York State's Agriculture and Markets Law. Under this law, the dog control officer's responsibilities include the following:

1. Any dog which is not identified and which is not on the owner's premises;
2. Any dog which is not licensed, whether on or off the owner's premises;
3. Any licensed dog which is not in the control of its custodian, or not on the premises of the dog's owner or custodian, if there is probable cause to believe the dog is a dangerous dog;
4. Any dog which poses an immediate threat to the public safety.

These, Connor claims, are the only instances that legally allow (or compel) him to act. Connor explains that there are municipal ordnances in the village (i.e. leash laws, barking complaints or animal cruelty) that he is not required to enforce. And he argues that complaints from village officials about his perceived lack of service to the village residents is due to the fact that they are requiring him to work act beyond his legal authority.

�The problem is the Chief of Police [Phil Mattracion]. He doesn't let dogs in the cars. He doesn't let dogs in the station. He doesn't want to deal with them,� said Connor.

Connor went on to say that he thinks the village should create a dog control officer position to handle any future problems - something the village board has begun to explore.

Village Manager Elliott Auerbach calls the situation, �a revolving door of issues. And no one can seem to get their arms around it.�

At a recent village board meeting, Mayor Jeff Kaplan asked if Police Chief Mattracion would check with the union to explore the possibility of hiring another officer with animal control experience. Word is that the union is amenable to the hire but that comes at a hefty price.

�Another full-time policeman in the village will cost around $31,000 to start and more once you include all the benefits,� said Auerbach, though he acknowledged that a new hire would be used for more than just animal control issues.

Auerbach went on to say, �I think the bottom line is that if we need to be in the business of dog control then maybe we should be in the dog licensing business.�

Auerbach has a uniquely vested interest in the dog control issue. Last year, his mother-in-law, Ailsa Gray was bitten on the face and hand by a St. Bernard after she had picked it and another dog up and brought it to the Ellenville police station. She said that when the police could not reach Connor, they told her that she could take the dogs to clinic in Middletown. When Ms. Gray re-entered the car, she was attacked. The bites required her to get stitches on her face and hands.

Gray, who considers herself a �cat person,� said, �He [Connor] has a terrible reputation of not being there - not being responsive when you need him.�

But complaints do not come from just village residents. One town resident and self proclaimed animal lover said that, �When you mention his name to anybody, people just roll their eyes.�

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