Pepperell Board Orders Dog Restraint, Schedules Dangerous-Dog Hearing for January 21

PEPPERELL -- January 13, 2020, Pepperell selectmen order restraint and muzzling of two dogs accused in a December mauling, continuing the dangerous-dog hearing to January 21. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday to require Megan Bork and Ryan Tyler of 1 Old Farm Lane to restrain and muzzle a cream-colored German Shepherd named Simba and a red hound mix whenever outside, with the town to take custody of both animals pending a final ruling on dangerousness at a special meeting January 21 at 7 p.m. Animal Control Officer Mary Letourneau told the board that a 10-year-old German Shorthair Pointer named Autumn was severely attacked on December 20 at 4 Hunt Club Way, running up more than $1,000 in veterinary bills with treatment still ongoing; owner Joseph Ford testified he physically removed the red hound from his dog and positively identified both animals. Simba had been under a permanent restraint order since 2017 after a prior attack on a neighbor's dog, and an email in the board's packet suggested earlier complaints about the dogs running loose may have been handled with deference to the fact that Tyler's father is the town fire chief, a claim Letourneau and the board disputed. Town Administrator Andrew Tebo said additional documentation received after the packet was distributed would be shared with the board before the January 21 hearing, at which a formal dangerousness finding and possible euthanasia order are on the table.