Mansfield orders dog put down after attack
Credit: WBZ-TV
The Board of Selectmen in Mansfield voted Wednesday night to force a family to put down their dog after it attacked a 6-year-old boy.
The board voted 3-2 in favor of euthanizing the dog, said board Chairman Olivier Kozlowski.
Milo, the pointer hound mix, is owned by the family of the boy’s babysitter, 15-year-old Heather Bailey. She was watching the boy at her family’s home in January and was trying to locate a video game when the attack occurred, according to The Sun Chronicle. It was unclear what prompted the attack.
Six-year-old Christian Herbert was bit on his body and face and required 400 stitches, according to The Sun Chronicle.
Kozlowski, who voted in favor of putting the dog down, said the town’s animal control officer recommended that the dog be euthanized. Laws allow for classifications of an animal after an attack. The board could have dismissed the complaint brought by the attorney representing the boy’s family, classified the dog as a “nuisance dog” and imposed restrictions such as home confinement or insurance or it could classify it as a “dangerous dog.”
“Obviously it’s a really tough call,” Kozlowski said. “I don’t think anybody can look at what happened and just call it a nuisance.”
He said the town officials could identify with both families involved and that the decision wasn’t easy.
The issue now goes to the district court, Kozlowski said, and the family plans to appeal the decision.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
