Becoming clear, cool, and comfortable. .

Becoming clear, cool, and comfortable.

A Great Pyrenees in Graham County, North Carolina, has gotten into some legal trouble.

GRAHAM COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A Great Pyrenees in Graham County has gotten into some legal trouble.

Seven-year-old Leo’s barking has racked up more than $750 in noise violation citations and attorney fees, said owner Michael Eddings.

“Leo’s bark does travel, but it’s just because he’s 120 pounds,” Eddings said.

Eddings said Leo doesn’t bark more than other dogs in the neighborhood and believes he and his family are being unfairly targeted by the Graham County Sheriff’s Office following a complaint.

“I have a neighbor that has three or four dogs that bark,” Eddings said. “And my neighbor across the street has dogs that bark. So, I think singling us out for one dog is a little ridiculous.”

A Great Pyrenees in Graham County, North Carolina, has gotten into some legal trouble.

During a court appearance on Tuesday, Eddings said he was stunned to hear what a representative of the Graham County district attorney’s office offered in terms of a plea deal.

“He said that if you have the vocal cords removed surgically, they would drop all charges,” Eddings said. “It’s crazy; it is inhumane.”

Graham County District Attorney Ashley Welch confirmed an assistant district attorney made the suggestion. Welch issued the following statement:

"I have confirmed that an assistant district attorney in my district suggested, as a possible solution to violations of a town’s noise ordinance, that a dog’s vocal cords be surgically altered. Whether offered in jest or seriousness, the suggestion was inappropriate. I am unable to offer additional comment as this is now a personnel matter.”

Neither Leo nor Eddings is off the hook. Eddings' next court appearance is scheduled for October.

“We’re willing to negotiate,” Eddings said. “We’ll put up a fence, things like that, but I’m not going to put on a barking collar and I’m not going to have surgery.”

According to Graham County’s noise ordinance, quiet hours are not defined. The ordinance does specify between disturbing and unnecessary noise. Both criteria state a noise should not be clearly audible at a distance of more than 50 feet from the noise source.

Graham County Sheriff Jerry Crisp confirmed his deputies have issued several noise violation citations to Eddings — both for the dog’s barking and loud music. Crisp said his office received complaints from many of Eddings’ neighbors. Since the last citation, no additional complaints have been filed.

Samira, an 8-week-old Dachshund puppy, carries her water dish on June 18, 2018, in Wilmington, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Six-month-old Maltese pup Scooter sits dwarfed by a tea cup as owner Cheryl McKnight admires her tiny ball of fluff in Gisborne, New Zealand, on July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Rebecca Grunwell)

Samira, left, and Scarlett, 8-week-old Dachshund puppies, play in the grass June 18, 2018, in Wilmington, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

A miniature schnauzer puppy is shown Feb. 18, 2001, in Spring, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Will Farkas embraces a puppy during the first morning of a camp for children whose lives have been touched by cancer in South Russell, Ohio, on Aug. 1, 2005. Each of the 12 campers was given a puppy to take care of and socialize with during the week-long camp. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

A litter of seven golden retriever puppies trots across the lawn at Mountain View Kennels in Williamsburg, Pa., on Nov. 2, 2005. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Beyonce, left, a Dachsund puppy vying for the title of World's Smallest Dog, is held with her mom Casey, a mixed Dachshund and Chihuahua, on March 28, 2012, in New York. Animal rescuers in Northern California say Beyonce was so small at birth that she could fit into a spoon. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Puppies play during Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Stephen J Boitano.)

Ratchet, a puppy from Iraq who was rescued by a soldier from Minnesota, rests after arriving at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va., on Oct. 20, 2008. The dog from Iraq arrived after a lengthy effort to reunite the pooch with the U.S. soldier who adopted him. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Puppies Apple, left, and Curry tussle with a chew toy as they romp at ASPCA headquarters in New York on April 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this photo taken on July 16, 2009, Lily, a Chihuahua terrier mix with five legs, licks a bowl in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/The Charlotte Observer, Jeff Siner)

Draco, a golden retriever puppy, enjoys a ride on the shoulder of owner Cyrus Scribner of Middlesex, Vt., on Sept. 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

An animal control officer holds a puppy named Guess in Minneapolis on Feb. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Harbor, an 8-week-old Labrador retriever, takes a nap at the American Kennel Club headquarters in New York on March 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Pua, a 5-month-old French bulldog, poses for photographers at the American Kennel Club headquarters in New York on March 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Window shoppers look at a pair of Labrador puppies for sale at the Westside Pavilion Shopping Center in Los Angeles on Oct. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)

A chocolate lab puppy looks at the camera in New Hampshire in this Jan. 8, 2019, photo. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

In this Jan. 8, 2019, photo, inmate Jonathan Ladson cuddles with a chocolate lab puppy at Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen, N.H. The New Hampshire jail is the first in the state to partner prisoners with the "Hero Pups" program to foster and train puppies with the goal of placing them with military veterans and first responders in need of support dogs. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Officers introduce a litter of golden retriever puppies to be trained as police dogs during a skills presentation of the K-9 unit in La Paz, Bolivia, on April 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Milo, a coonhound puppy born with "upside down paws," chews on a treat at his home at the Oliver and Friends Farm Rescue and Sanctuary in Luther, Okla., on Feb. 14, 2019. Milo was born with a congenital dislocation of both elbows that left his paws turned upside down. The condition was treated with surgery. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

A puppy is on display at a pet store in Columbia, Md., on Aug. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Puppies play in a cage at a pet store in Columbia, Md., on Aug. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Linda Eroh holds Sammy, a 12-year-old Shetland sheepdog, on Oct. 9, 2008, at her Douglassville, Pa., home. Eroh rescued Sammy from a puppy mill. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Ratchet, a puppy from Iraq who was rescued by a soldier from Minnesota, rests on arrival at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va., on Oct. 20, 2008. The dog from Iraq has arrived after a lengthy effort to reunite the pooch with the U.S. soldier who adopted him. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Petula, a rescued pug, walks around during a rally on the front steps of the Statehouse in Indianapolis on April 23, 2009. A group of dog lovers called on lawmakers to regulate large-scale dog breeding operations in Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.