2 days ago
Judge orders Scranton resident to remove his 10 mastiffs from home
Lackawanna County Court Judge Mark Powell ordered a Scranton resident to remove all of his 10 or more cane corso breed of mastiff guard dogs from his home in Minooka, because they and their owner's handling of them constitute a public nuisance.
In a ruling in a preliminary injunction lawsuit by Scranton against resident John Dodge, the judge also agreed with the city's contention that Dodge's kennel business violates the residential zoning of his home at 421 Campbell St.
The city on Jan. 2 issued a zoning violation to Dodge for having more dogs than allowed in a residential zone on less than an acre. After no response or appeal by Dodge, the city filed the injunction suit May 19.
Powell heard the case May 27. Dodge did not attend the hearing and did not respond to the lawsuit, according to the suit, testimony and Powell's ruling. During the May 27 proceeding, Assistant City Solicitor Mariclare Hayes sought an order requiring Dodge to surrender or 'rehome' all but two of the dogs and prove with documentation that those two are spayed or neutered.
Powell went a step further in his ruling issued Tuesday, by ordering all of the dogs removed from the property as 'the only means to abate the nuisance.'
Efforts to reach Dodge on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The dispute between the city and Dodge over citations he has ignored had been brewing for several months; but tension between Dodge and his neighbors over the dogs had been ongoing for about two years, shortly after he began keeping, breeding and selling the dogs, according to court testimony from the May 27 hearing.
According to the injunction lawsuit: The city zoning ordinance caps at six the number of pets over 3 months old allowed on a residential property of an acre or less; and the number of canines at the 421 Campbell St. property has varied, but city officials have seen 'no less than 10' full-grown cane corso mastiffs and believe their numbers have reached as high as 25.
Barking, the stench of dog feces and safety concerns about the large dogs occasionally running loose disrupt the neighborhood, particularly neighbors Dawn and David Hafner of 2426 Pittston Ave., who have lived there 23 years. Their backyard abuts Dodge's rear deck and yard, Dawn Hafner testified May 27.
Dodge moved to 421 Campbell St. around January 2021, and around February 2023 got two dogs and eventually more over the years, and he now has about 10, Hafner testified. Her testimony also included that the two largest male dogs each weigh about 150 pounds, while females weigh about half of that; the dogs hang over the deck railing directly into Hafner's yard; Dodge's routine hosing dog feces off of his deck causes the excrement to wash into Hafner's yard; and excessive feces and urine in Dodge's yard also stink up the neighborhood.
Dodge has done nothing to remediate the situation and has not appealed the zoning violation, and he has not sought a variance to operate his 'Superior Cane Corso Kennel,' city Planner Don King, who is the city's director of planning and zoning, testified. King also testified that Dodge's property is 'too small and it's too close to other residences' to operate a kennel, and he sells the dogs via a website and social media, thus operating a business in a residential zone.
Dodge also had not responded to citations and fines issued by the city's animal control officer regarding a lack of dog licenses and rabies vaccinations, the lawsuit claimed.
The city's animal control officer, Katie Gallone, testified that she had concerns about safety regarding the dogs; and that without proper handling and training, the dogs can exhibit a pack mentality and be a threat to humans or other animals.
Powell's ruling cited Gallone's testimony that included a February 2024 incident of the dogs running loose in the neighborhood and going after a person; a dog attack at Connell Park in July, when a small dog being walked by a 16-year-old girl was attacked by two mastiffs owned by Dodge and his wife, and that resulted in $700 in veterinary bills regarding the small dog; and video of a December 2024 incident of several of the dogs running loose in the neighborhood after escaping from Dodge's back gate.
'There is ample credible testimony on the record by neighbors and city employees, as well as pictures that prove the dogs are noisy, create a foul smell from both urine and feces, that the dogs are a danger to the community when they get loose because the dogs are exceptionally intimidating showing aggressive pack behavior, causing fear to those they encounter,' Powell said in his ruling.
A breed of Italian lineage, the name of cane corso roughly translates from Latin as 'bodyguard dog.'
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A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)
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A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)
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John Dodge's home, on the left at 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, and the home of neighbor Dawn Hafner, on the right, at 2426 Pittston Ave. were referenced Tuesday, May 27, 2025 in Lackawanna County Court during a hearing in an injunction lawsuit by the city of Scranton against Dodge to get a court order to have him surrender most of his several cane corso mastiff dogs, and keep two that are spayed or neutered. The city's suit claims the keeping of 10 or more of the dogs at any given time violates the residential zoning and has created a public nuisance in noise, smell, excessive feces and concerns about safety. A judge did not immediately rule on the injunction request. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
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A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)
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A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)
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