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Select Board keeps 'dangerous dog' designation for Pedro, orders leash, training plan and 4‑month reassessment
Summary
After testimony from animal behaviorist Dr. Terry Bright, the Select Board maintained a dangerous-dog finding for Pedro and ordered the owner to follow a written training plan, keep the dog physically leashed/harnessed when outside the residence, and present for a reassessment no sooner than four months.
At a continuation of a dangerous-dog hearing on May 13, animal behaviorist Dr. Terry Bright testified about assessments and a behavioral training plan for a dog named Pedro that recently killed a neighbor’s cat. Dr. Bright described Pedro’s likely background, predatory-chase behaviors and prior use of an electronic collar. She said the dog was social with people and many dogs but had an identifiable predatory sequence that can lead to fatal outcomes for small animals.
Dr. Bright demonstrated and recommended reward‑based training exercises — "leave it," recall on a long line, heel and structured running/exercise — and urged that electronic collars be discontinued. She recommended the owner teach reliable cues and practice five to 10 minutes of training several times daily and fit and train the dog for a Baskerville-style muzzle for limited-risk settings. Dr. Bright said, "I did not find him to be dangerous" in the sense of posing a threat to people, but she emphasized the risk to small animals and the need for strict management.
Town counsel advised the board that under the applicable statute the dog meets the legal definition of a dangerous dog because it killed another animal. The board adopted an order that retained the dangerous-dog designation and required these conditions: the owner must submit and follow Dr. Bright’s written training plan; the dog must be physically leashed or harnessed (not electronically) such that the owner maintains 100% control whenever the dog is outside the residence; and the owner must muzzle the dog in circumstances the behaviorist recommends (for example close quarters around other small animals). The board also required the owner to arrange a recheck with Dr. Bright no sooner than four months from the hearing and to present evidence of training progress at that time.
The vote to keep the designation and adopt the conditions was unanimous.
What’s next: The owner will provide the training plan on record, follow the training and control conditions, and schedule a reassessment with Dr. Bright at or after the four‑month mark for the board to consider modifying the designation in a future hearing.
