EMIDA, Idaho – Two North Idaho dog breeders were sued by their neighbors, who alleged the dog owners retaliated against them and caused them emotional distress.
Homeowners in Emida claimed that the breeders had more than 250 dogs on their land and that the animals would bark nonstop. According to court documents, the breeders retaliated by bringing even more animals on their land.
According to the complaint filed this week, the neighbors confronted the breeders in 2017 about the noise, but nothing improved.
In October 2017, the Benewah County Commissioners then held a public meeting to discuss a possible animal control ordinance. Shortly after the meeting, the dog owners placed harassing signs in their neighbors yards in attempt to intimidate them for voicing their concerns with the dog-breeding operations.
Court documents said at the beginning of the year the breeders, who run the breeding company “Celebrity Pups,” instead retaliated throughout the year, beginning with bringing in several pigs, peacocks, more than 100 guinea hens and three donkeys onto their property in attempt to further annoy the neighbors.
In March, the fight between the neighbors escalated. Police arrested one of the dog owners on charges of assault, reporting that she had intentionally swerved her car toward another neighbor and sprayed her with gravel in attempt to scare her.
One neighbor claimed that after confronting the dog owners again about the noise in March, one of the dog breeders berated and threatened the neighbor. According to the neighbor, the dog owner gestured as if he was going to pull out a weapon from his person.
In April, the neighbors claimed that the dog owners placed 55-gallon barrels along the property line that separates their property form their neighbors. The neighbors claim that the barrels were placed on the property with the intent to harass and interfere with the neighbors’ free use of their residence.
In a court proceeding in April, one of the dog owners’ employees admitted that the defendants had calculated a plan to harass and intimidate their neighbors in retaliation for making complaints about the dog-breeding operation. The employee also said that the defendants were planning to construct a motor cross track, acquire junk vehicles and begin a large-scale pig farm.