GILL — Following an hour-long hearing and discussion on Monday, the Selectboard declared a 1-year-old pit bull mix that bit a pedestrian on West Gill Road in October to be a nuisance dog and issued the condition that the animal must be “humanely restrained” physically when it is within 100 feet of a public way.
The dog, named Taco, was deemed a nuisance after the board heard testimony from the victim, the dog’s owners and Kyle Dragon, animal control officer with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Selectboard members felt the inflicted injury was severe enough to warrant conditions, but a dangerous dog designation, the higher level of severity, would be too restrictive given that the dog did not have a history of violent behavior.
“I don’t want this to happen again,” Selectboard Clerk John Ward said. “That’s a nasty looking gash on her arm. Could that happen from a playful dog? Yes, it could, [and] without that dog being a malicious dog.”
Selectboard Vice Chair Greg Snedeker noted that if something happens again, the Selectboard could choose to elevate the status to dangerous dog.
The victim, Tamra Little, was joined by her attorney, John DiBartolo Jr., to discuss the incident. Little said she was walking along West Gill Road when the dog, later identified as Taco, ran from a home’s driveway toward her. She said she yelled at the animal to get back, and the dog crouched down, looked at her, then jumped up and bit her forearm. Upon turning her back to the dog, the animal disengaged and did not bite her anywhere else, and she walked farther down the road before calling 911.
Taco’s owner, Chad Powling, and his family also testified about their experience. Powling said the dog got loose while he was in the yard. He saw Taco run toward Little, who was approximately 30 feet away, and he saw Taco jump on her, but he did not see the dog bite.
The family was unaware of any previous incidents of aggression before taking ownership of Taco. The dog is vaccinated and is properly licensed with the town.
Little said she was given six stitches for the wound at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. An image of Little’s arm was provided in the meeting materials, depicting a triangle-shaped wound with a layer of skin pulled back.
Powling, his mother, Susan Gregoire, and his daughter each described their dog as playful and well-behaved, and expressed remorse for the situation. They added that the dog is leashed in public and responds to voice commands.
“I do feel terrible. We can’t let this happen again,” Powling said after explaining how they’ve trained the dog, and it has behaved well around other people and dogs.
Speaking on Little’s behalf, DiBartolo said she only seeks a form of remediation that prevents this type of incident from happening again.