Riverview residents tormented by rogue rooster

A rogue rooster has been tormenting residents of EastRiverview for the past two months, with the loud cries of cock-a-doodle-doo heard at various hours of the day.

"It never takes a break," said Patrick Laporte, who lives and works in the area andhears the rooster every day.

"When you're up early, you can just hear him, doing the typical rooster call. Just going pretty nuts. It's not a quiet rooster," said Laporte.

It's not a quiet rooster.-Patrick Laporte

According to the talk of the town, itseems the animal in question lives in Riverview's Point Park area, somewhere around the corner ofSt Stephens Avenue and Miles Road, though its preciselocation remains somewhat of a mystery.

Laporte said he was taken aback the first time he heard the rooster, in July, and wasn't sure whether he was just imagining things or if this was forreal.

"I was pretty baffled that someone had a rooster in city limits," said Laporte.

And he's not the only one. Around the corner, patrons at Wise Guyzpub on HillsboroughRd said everybody around the block knows about the little creature and his crowing.

"I always just assumed it was someone's pet," said Laporte.

Rooster dealt with, says town

RiverviewMayor Ann Seamans said the town never received a formal complaint about the rooster, and the issue would have slipped off their radar if it wasn't for a mention at August's town meeting, when council was voting on, and defeated, an urban chickenby-law.

"That's how this all came about really," said Seamans."Someone had brought up that there was a rooster in the town."

Seamans said the rooster's owner came forward soon afterand claimed he didn't know the animal was not allowed in the town.

Seamans said a letter was sent to the man dated Aug. 30, noticing him he had to kiss his pet rooster goodbye.

"He has agreed that he will," said Seamans.

But according to those who live around the block, the rooster is still very much out and about.

"You can still hear it crowing pretty clearly when you're outside," said Laporte.