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SPENCER – A two-year-old Mastiff Boxer mix named Gunner was deemed a dangerous dog by selectmen following a public hearing continued from last month.
The issue stemmed from an incident in August on the rail trail coinciding with a road race sponsored by the Rapscallion Brewery.
During the initial hearing, selectmen heard testimony from Christine Caruso, wife of the victim, who said she received a phone call from her husband David at the event saying he had been bitten by a dog and needed help.
With the help of a volunteer, Christine Caruso called for an ambulance that ultimately transported her husband to a hospital in Southbridge.
David Caruso noted his wife had finished the race ahead of him and he was a slower runner at the end of the field. He said he passed on the left of where Destiny Tatro was walking with the dog to her right.
“It lunged at me within a split second,” David Caruso said at the October hearing. He said he kept running, and “there was too much blood,” which he covered with his shirt.
After the bite, “I didn’t know where the dog was or she was… I wanted to get away from the dog,” he said.
His wife said when he approached, her husband had his shirt off and around his arm, with a flap of skin hanging.
His 10-inch wound required 14 stitches.
At the November continued hearing, Caruso said her husband still suffers from the physical and emotional scars of the incident.
Tatro is the daughter of the dog owner, Shannon Nichols, who said Gunner is her emotional support dog and had never displayed aggression before. He was adopted in January. She said that kids hug the dog, the groomers are fine with him and he generally interacts with people with no problems.
They presented letters of support from several people and local businesses testifying to the dog’s friendliness.
Tatro noted that she approached the couple, offered an apology and her mother said she provided all the information that was requested and required of her.
Tatro said she was not aware there was a race going on that day because there were no signs indicating that fact on either side of the trails. Nichols said her daughter would not have taken the dog for a walk had she known about the race.
Nichols said Gunner must have perceived Caruso as a threat to her daughter and “he doesn’t try to hurt anybody.” She said they hired a dog trainer to work on the dog’s confidence.
Others spoke on the dog’s behalf including Ryan Hallway, who said the dog spent his first year and a half of life in a shelter and showed signs of a rescue dog but was “workable.” Hallway walks the dog regularly and lets people approach Gunner without any problems.
At the October hearing, Animal Control Officer Lynne Porretti and Police Chief Michael Befford also spoke about the incident. Selectmen and Porretti advised the dog owner to get a professional evaluation done before Nov. 4 and keep the dog muzzled (and leashed) when out in public.
Selectman Gary Woodbury noted the difficulties of these types of hearings, adding, “No one has a crystal ball. The concern is never knowing when this is going to happen again.”
Town Administrator Jeff Bridges provided the state law definitions of a “dangerous” dog versus a “nuisance” dog. The latter is more about a dog that barks excessively and causes a disturbance whereas a dangerous one “attacks a person or domestic animal causing physical injury or death,” and acts in a way that can be perceived as threatening.
Tatro reported the dog had twice received “reactive dog training,” and it was recommended he continue with three sessions of “obedience training” because they could not determine what had triggered the bite.
Christine Caruso urged the board not to forget about the victim and future victims. “There is nothing more expensive than regret,” she said. At a minimum, it was appropriate for selectmen to deem the dog dangerous, she said.
Selectman Ralph Hicks reviewed the qualifications of Pack of Paws, where Gunner is receiving training and chair Jared Grigg said it concerned him that a trigger could not be identified.
Ultimately, vice chair Jonathan Viner recommended they impose two of the orders in the state law to keep the dog “muzzled and chipped,” (identified) as well as require the completion of training.
