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Keene attack prompts bill to let municipalities require muzzles for dogs; committee seeks limits and due process
Summary
Representative Jody Newell introduced HB250 to allow local governments to require muzzles for dogs with a history of aggression after a Keene attack. Testimony included an owner whose dog required emergency surgery; committee members debated scope, exemptions for hunting/herding dogs and enforcement mechanisms.
Representative Jody Newell, sponsor of HB250, told the committee the bill would "enable local governing bodies to regulate muzzling requirements for dogs licensed in that municipality." He said Keene city leaders had proposed muzzling demonstrably aggressive dogs after a constituent reported a serious attack on a leashed dog downtown.
Deborah LeBlanc, the Keene resident whose dog was mauled, described the attack in detail and urged the committee to allow municipalities to require muzzles for dogs with bite histories. "I had to rush her in for emergency surgery. I got bit trying to get the dog off of my dog. It took 3 people to pry the dog's jaw off of her leg," LeBlanc said. She told the committee police informed her the attacking dog already had an aggressive history and the community could have…
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