Dog lady to take her case to Wheeling board

Margaret Bucher - who owns five dogs in a village that only allows four - will plead her case to the Wheeling Village Board on Monday.

"I'm trying to get the word out, to let as many pet owners as possible know about the meeting," Bucher said. "I don't know how many people will be there, but I'll be there."

Village officials had given Bucher until Wednesday, April 1, to give up one of her dogs or face a fine of between $50 and $500 per day. However that timeline has been extended, Wheeling Village Manager Mark Rooney said on Friday.

"She asked for a little more time to work out some personal issues and we're going to give her that time," Rooney said. "But she'll have to come up with a solution eventually."

Bucher said she couldn't possibly choose which of her five dogs - a Pomeranian, two Maltese, a shih tzu, and a Maltese/shih tzu mix - she would give up to comply with Wheeling village code limiting people to four pets a household.

And if the village doesn't let her keep all five dogs, she'll move, she said.

"I'm not going to change my mind; I can't do that," Bucher said.

The ordinance dates back 18 years and there are good reasons behind it, Rooney said.

"Wheeling has a lot of townhouses that are very close to each other," he said. "Neighbors have a right to enjoy their own property too. And remember small dogs make a lot more noise than most big dogs."

Rooney said several neighbors have complained about Bucher's dogs, but Bucher thinks it's one neighbor who has a personal grudge against her.

The pet ordinance is not on Monday's agenda, but Bucher could address the board during the meeting's public comment period. She understands she's putting the board in a tough spot.

"They have a hard job and this it going to take a lot of brainstorming," she said.

Since news broke this week in the Daily Herald about Bucher's battle with village officials, she's been granting media interviews, collecting signatures for a petition and e-mailing bloggers about her plight nonstop.

"I haven't slept; it's been unbelievable," she said. "I've had so many people support me. An attorney said he'd represent me for free if it came to that."

The village board will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at the new Wheeling Village Hall, 2 Community Blvd.