BILLINGS -- Help for Homeless Pets, a popular animal rescue group, is coming under fire from some neighbors because they say dogs are running loose and wreaking havoc in the neighborhood.

The kennel is located in the county at 2910 Hannon Road, between the sugar beet factory and Interstate 90.

HHP head Angie Cook said her organization has taken care of the problem by repairing outside dog kennels and stressing to volunteers that they must keep dogs close when walking them.

"These dogs are tough on the kennels and we haven't had any dogs out since he started making a big issue out of this," Cook said.

"He" is Steve Penning, a neighbor on Allison Lane who circulated a petition against Cook and HHP. Penning has collected 33 signatures, some from businesses just a few feet from the HHP kennel. Penning said he wants Yellowstone County to enforce animal ordinances in the neighborhood. County commissioners received a copy of the petition.

"The goal of the petition was to make the county commissioners, the animal control people and anybody else who'd listen understand that we have a problem here," Penning said. "We've complained individually, but now we're coming together."

The petition states that dogs and cats from HHP run loose in the neighborhood and HHP staff don't clean up after them. The petition also says that the loose dogs have threatened and attacked neighbors and their pets, something Cook disputes.

Several small industrial shops share a common driveway with HHP. While some business owners didn't want to speak publicly, they said the petition was accurate.

Greg Zeleny, owner of Crane Tech Service, said he's had it with HHP. He said dog barking is so loud sometimes that he has to field phone calls in his office bathroom. He'd like to see HHP move.

"I'm very sympathetic to their cause, but not here," he said. "Trucks come in and there's pee all over the tires. I like dogs. I really like dogs, but not that many."

Cook said she's seeking a restraining order against Penning because of a standoff that happened a few weeks ago. Both sides tell it differently, but it involved a loose dog, a shotgun and the sheriff's office.

Penning said he corralled a loose dog on his property several times, and he called animal control the last time. He said Cook came onto his property to get the dog back, with another man holding a menacing German shepherd dog a few feet away. Fearing for his safety, Penning got his shotgun.

Cook said that, when her volunteers tried to get the dog back, Penning held his gun to the dog's head and threatened to "blow him up." Cook then went to Penning's house. Deputies took Penning's gun, but it's unclear who was cited with what in the incident.

"The guy pulled a gun on me. He's crazy," Cook said. "He goes around and videotapes us."

Penning and some others think the county doesn't want to disturb HHP because it drops off stray animals there.

Cook said the county doesn't bring her many animals, and her organization is working extra hard to avoid future problems. HHP was founded in 1998 and has adopted out about 11,600 pets since then.

"In the last month, we have not had problems with dogs getting out," she said. "We're trying to be good neighbors."