Several Dexter Beach residents have unleashed complaints against a neighbor who wants to open a small dog care business in her home.

On Thursday night, 19 people attended a Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing to protest an application filed by Mary Lou Hanlon of 11 Shady Lane.

Hanlon requested a special permit for a business kennel on her property, which is located in a private neighborhood.

Chair Eric Pierce said the board received nine individual letters and a petition with 49 signatures opposing the kennel. According to the petition, the business would cause traffic, safety, noise and dog waste issues.

If approved, the permit limits the kennel to five dogs. Hanlon said three dogs would be there at any given time. In addition to her 10-year-old Siberian Husky, she would house two client dogs.

After hearing a litany of complaints, Hanlon urged neighbors to think of the business not as a kennel, but as if the dogs were her own. The business would be for people who want their dog watched for a day or more.

“I’m sixty-eight years old. I’m not going to take on more than I can handle,” Hanlon said. “I’ll be taking in quiet, good-souled dogs, and it seems like people are overreacting to the idea of a kennel.”

She said the dogs would be kept inside her home when not exercising in a fenced backyard.

Stephen Whittaker, a fourth generation resident, said the business would create traffic problems. As a private neighborhood, only residents and their guests are allowed access on Dexter Beach roads.

Shady Lane is a dead end not equipped to handle additional people coming and going, Whittaker said.

Other residents said the area was not zoned for business.

Hanlon pointed out that a landscaping company is listed in the phone book with a Dexter Beach address.

Whittaker said that wasn’t a fair comparison.

“A landscaper does not have people bringing him their lawns to work on. He goes to a site,” he said. “It’s a whole different ballgame.”

John Doran's biggest concern was safety. The father of a 4-year-old, he feared his child might be injured if a dog escaped.

“I respect your background and history,” Doran told Hanlon. “I don’t think you can fully vouch for all of your clients.”

Resident Kurt Seifert said he returned Hanlon’s dog when it escaped once.

That happened the day she moved into the neighborhood, Hanlon said.

“In the stress of moving, I inadvertently left the [sliding door] open. There’s a fence up now,” she said.

“But mistakes do happen,” Seifert said.

Loud barking was mentioned several times as a potential nuisance.

Since the dogs would be in her home, Hanlon said annoying barking would not be tolerated.

“I’m not taking in puppies or extra large breeds or dogs that do a lot of loud barking,” she said.

Potential clients would be subject to a screening process. Hanlon said dogs must get along with her husky. Dogs with behavior problems would not be welcome.

Hanlon said this wasn’t the first time she had applied for a kennel license. She cared for five dogs in her Hingham home before moving to Marion seven months ago.

The board voted to take the matter under advisement. Pierce said members have less than 90 days to make a decision.

There is a 20-day waiting period after the vote. Anyone may sue the Zoning Board if they disagree with the decision during that time.

“So, there are other options available to you,” Pierce told Dexter Beach residents.