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Resident describes vicious dog attack, commissioners say animal‑control authority exists and will be reviewed
Summary
A Cumberland resident told commissioners his sister’s dog was killed by neighbor pit bulls and criticized animal control’s response. County attorneys and commissioners said a 2024 update to local animal control law gives authorities the power to declare animals public nuisances and seize them, and commissioners directed staff to follow up.
During public comment at the Allegany County Board of Commissioners meeting, resident Richard Everett described an August 19, 2025, incident in which two neighboring pit bulls escaped, fatally attacked his sister’s dog and severely injured family members, and he criticized animal control and the city police response.
Everett, identified as a resident of Pennsylvania Avenue in Cumberland, said he had security camera footage of the attack, described a delayed animal control response and reported a $2,000 veterinary bill after the dog had to be euthanized. “They ripped his leg completely off,” Everett said of the attack in the video he provided, and he said animal control initially deemed the dogs not vicious and imposed a $100 fine.
County Attorney Beaman and…
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