Selectmen to decide fate of Hingham Square mastiffs tonight

Megan Ullman said the two dogs were popular features at the gallery until one day in June 2008 Gabriella, allegedly bit a woman who walked into the gallery as Ullman stepped outside and did not lock the door behind her.

“We dispute it was a bite,” Ullman said. “There was no bite, no blood, no scratches,” she said.

She said the dogs are not vicious and have been a welcome sight for thousands of customers who have visited the gallery since it opened five years ago.

After last June’s incident, Ullman said, Animal Control Officer Leslie Badger asked them not to bring the dogs to the art gallery and the family has been cooperative by leaving the dogs at their Simmons Road home instead of bringing them to the square.

In July, Badger was at the Ullmans home to help search for a 10-foot pet boa constrictor that slithered away when it was put outside to bask in the summer sun. The snake was found after a three-hour search.

Selectmen Chairman Laura Burns said a hearing scheduled for last week was postponed at the Ullman’s request and rescheduled for Tuesday.

Burns said she is unsure if Animal Control Officer Leslie Badger is asking selectmen to ban the dogs from the business or the town as a whole.

Badger declined any comment and invited all interested parties to attend Tuesday’s hearing which begins at 7:30 p.m.

“I don’t want to jeopardize my case,” Badger said.

Megan Ullman, reached by phone at the gallery Tuesday afternoon, said she was unaware the new hearing was set for Tuesday and said the Ullmans have asked for an extension.