Pepperell Selectmen Order Dangerous Dog Euthanized, Restrict Second After Attack

PEPPERELL — January 21, 2020 — Pepperell's Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to deem a German shepherd named Simba a dangerous dog and order him euthanized at a continuation hearing held January 21 at the Peter Fitzpatrick School. Chair Joe Greathead and members Margaret Scarsdale and a third board member ruled on three dogs owned by Megan and Ryan Tyler of Old Farm Lane following a December attack on a neighbor's dog named Autumn, which required veterinary surgery including sutures, drains, and anesthesia at an approximate cost of $1,000. A red hound mix named Brady was deemed dangerous and placed under six statutory restrictions under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 140, Section 157A, including secure kennel confinement, muzzling when off-premises, and at least $100,000 in liability insurance made out to the town. The board took no action on a black Labrador named Sadie. Attorney Jeremy Cohen, representing the Tylers, argued that 98 percent of the evidence presented would be inadmissible in court, that no valid restraint order had been in place since a 2017 incident, and presented timestamped photographs showing all three dogs indoors with no injuries shortly after the attack. The Tylers have 10 days to appeal to district court.