Pet Owner Ousted, Dog Dies in Move

A 91-year-old woman, forced to move from her apartment of 25 years because the new owner did not allow pets, moved back in Thursday after her old dog died during the move.

“The problem child is returning,” said Alice Stacy, who went back to the renovated Harbor Point housing development in the city’s Dorchester section a day after vacating the complex with her Afghan hound, Goodboy.

Stacy moved out after losing a six-month battle to keep her dog with the Boston Housing Authority and CMJ Management Co., which is renovating the massive housing complex.

In 90-degree heat, Stacy and Goodboy had just arrived at their new quarters in the city’s Mattapan section when the 14-year-old, long-haired dog collapsed on the sidewalk.

Martha Armstrong, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the dog’s death was probably due to age, heat and the stress of moving.

In a front-page editorial on Thursday, the Boston Herald criticized Mayor Raymond Flynn for not stepping in to remedy the situation.

Flynn said the decision rested with the Harbor Point tenant board, which ruled against pet ownership. “The Boston Housing Authority merely carried out what the tenants wanted,” Flynn said. The tenant association voted to ban pets from the complex.