After several years and tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs, Tisbury has finally resolved its problem with the three poultry-killing huskies belonging to the Garde family. The dogs have been exported to Edgartown.

But the story did not end without more brinkmanship and controversy: a last-minute aversion of a court proceeding, concerns among the dogs’ new neighbors and some claims that Tisbury had dumped its problem elsewhere.

The town was preparing to take the Gardes to court again, because they had not complied with a selectmen’s order that the dogs be banned from town after repeated escapes in which they harassed and killed poultry.

“It was supposed to come to court, because they had not shown any proof, after more than year, that the dogs were gone from Vineyard Haven,” said Tisbury animal control officer Laurie Clements. “But then Ken Garde’s lawyer contacted our town counsel, saying the dogs had been moved to a house on 20th street North.

“So we set up a time to go down there to see the proof that the dogs were in fact there, and were licensed in Edgartown, I made a call to the Edgartown animal control officer, Barbara Prada, and she came with me. That was Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m.

“Ken was there when we arrived, with the three dog licenses laid out on the table.”

She was aware that there had been some criticism of the solution. “I was a bit miffed . . . What were we going to do — kill the dogs? I didn’t want to do that, they’re nice dogs. None of it was their fault; it was their owners’ fault.”

There has never been any suggestion that the dogs are a danger to people.

Edgartown assistant animal control officer Kate Vanderhoop said yesterday there have been no complaints.