A final appeal for the life of Buddy, the Golden Retriever on death row in Milford, is set for Wednesday morning in Hartford.
As state hearing officer has already proposed that Buddy be put down because he's a danger to other animals.
"I strongly recommend that the disposal order be affirmed as issued," Hearing Officer Richard Joaquin wrote in his three-page proposed decision obtained by MilfordPatch.
He said, however, that there is no proof that Buddy is a danger to humans.
The state agriculture commissoner makes the final decision. A last appeal to save Buddy from lethal injection is set for a hearing Wednesday morning in Hartford.
Milford Animal Control put Buddy on death row in October 2010 after the dog fought with other animals. Two people were injured during the incidents.
Buddy, who's seven years old, has been held at Milford Animal Control inside Silver Sands State Park since then.
In March 2010, Buddy got loose and attacked the companion animal of Marjorie Brower-Cole, the hearing officer said.
"During the efforts to end the altercation, Ms. Cole sustained a minor puncture wound on her hand from Buddy," the officer wrote.
"The attack by Buddy on the Cole's dog was aggressive, and unprovoked..."
As a result, Buddy's owner, Victoria Stillings, was required by a restraint order to muzzle Buddy at all times when he was outside her home, to contruct an outdoor kennel in her yard for him, and to not allow the retriever loose at any time.
Stillings was issued an infraction ticket then, charging her with allowing the dog to roam and creating a nuisance.
Despite the ticket and orders, Buddy was off property, unrestrained and not muzzled in October 2010, the hearing officer notes.
Buddy roamed to a nearby beach, where a neighbor tried to help the retriever out of the water, where the dog was struggling, the hearing officer said.
"Buddy suddenly ran from the water and attacked (another neighbor's) dog and in the process (that neighbor) was knocked over sustaining minor injuries," the hearing officer wrote.
That neighbor was Jean Mario, the elderly mother of Milford personal injury lawyer Carter Mario.
"In both of the above described incidents, Buddy was the aggressor and initiator of biting contact between the dogs involved," the officer wrote.
In light of the two incidents, Milford Animal Control issued a disposal order on the dog.
"Given the two incidents previously described, the facts clearly prove that 'Buddy' has a propensity to attack companion animals," the officer wrote.
"I am not convinced, however, that 'Buddy' is a threat to people."
But, he noted that the law does not require that a dog be a threat to people for a disposal order on the animal to be upheld.
Stillings maintains that the original disposal order claimed Buddy was a danger to people -- something the hearing officer disputed. She told MilfordPatch that her attorney will make that point, among others, during the "last ditch" effort to save Buddy's life.
"So, they're going to grasp at straws to put him down for anything," she said.
Stillings conceded that Buddy got loose in October -- but that was when a friend was watching him while she was on a business trip.
"He did get out, but I had an adult watching my dog," she said. "Call me irresponsible."
Chief Animal Control Officer Rick George said simply, "It's in the hands of the state."
It seems the owner did not comply with the orders given by the animal shelter. That does not mean the dog should be killed. The bite sustained by the person who sued was a nick in my opinion. and it only happened due to the fact that the dog was being kicked b/c it was attacking another dog. The person who was bit made a big deal just so they could gain compensation. I've had worse bites from my cat or rabbit.I do understand it being a hassle to walk your small dogs and the same dog always running after it and trying to fight with it but this does not make it a vicious dog. The person bit was not mauled. It is not uncommon for a dog to chase and attack other dogs. Geez. Even my cats fight sometimes. I hope they give this dog a chance to live with a responsible owner who has a fenced in yard. Now this poor dog has been held captive for..well, just being a dog!
Susan
dog the attacks would have been more bloody and vicious . Buddy is an Alpha male and as such he feels he has to prove his dominance over other dogs specially males by growling , nipping and putting his head on their necks and pushing down to attain the other dogs compliance. This problem can be diminished by the use of a muzzle , when he goes out for a walk put a muzzle on him ending his ability to bite and nip another animal. Like I always tell my sons , you can't blame an animal for being an animal - a dog is only as good as his owner.
this dog can certainly be retrained or rehabilitated given the chance! And why hasn't he been already helped in some way since he's been held prisoner? Wake up already! Too many animals are put on death row and killed because of overpopulation or aggression and the biggest excuse of all is because folks just dump them anywhere or don't want to be bothered anymore which is not fair for the animal. People need to find better solutions and better ways to deal with these situations and make better efforts to rehome or help these poor things. Animals are helpless and people are not! Would rather work with animals then humans at times cuz they are easier to deal with and are animals are just looking for kindness, caring and compassion!
Would you let your BABY roam unattended? Well- sadly some people do. It's the same thing. You have a pet, you have an obligation to keep him safe and to pick up after him. Sadly way too few do!!!
On the other hand, an aggressive dog can be a real liability. If I was walking my beagle and Buddy was unsupervised/uncontrolled and attacked him, I would be very upset. No one wants to incur unexpected and expensive emergency vet bills (logically) and seeing your own dog attacked is extremely difficult emotionally. I find it unfortunate that Buddy was given two chances and his owner has been unable to comply with the demands placed on Buddy for the safety of other dogs. Again, I don't think any dog is a lost cause. Their resiliency and adaptability constantly impresses me. However, I don't think it's fair to other dog owners in the area to have an aggressive dog that has a knack for "getting out." I wish Euthanasia wasn't the only option on the table here. I think Buddy should go to a Rescue organization and be rehabilitated/adopted. If dogs can be saved from the dregs of fighting rings and placed in loving homes, I'm certain there is hope for Buddy. I wish it wasn't his last chance, but his owner's last chance at keeping him.
The truth is this is a clear case of a poorly socialized and pent up with a lot of energy and no where to put it. This dog needs to be removed from it's owner and the owner given a ticket as well as a mandate that she can no longer have dogs as pets because she successfully created a dog that is a threat to other animals. There are probably a hundred dogs just in Milford that are a threat to other animals. Many people do not know how to socialize their dogs and therefor if you see them walking on the street you hear "please stay back my dog is not friendly" but these people, while they do not know how to socialize a dog, take responsibility for this dog by keeping it in an environment where it can not hurt anyone. This woman clearly does not take this responsibility seriously and she needs to be told. Buddy can very likely be transformed into a loving, happy dog with a little exercise and some guidance. This breed of dog is not inherently aggressive but they are over zealous and a lot of times their playing is another dog's attack. They play rough and that is why you need to keep them exercised and trained.
What is not mentioned here is that Buddy has a long documented history of being off property & increasingly animal aggressive. He has attacked dogs several times. The complaints with Milford Animal Control were after these attacks and the continued lack of action & control of Buddy by his owner. In one case, the owner was notified dogs were walking down the street and to take control of Buddy. She did not even put a leash on him. Buddy ran off property then chased & attacked the dogs. Buddy's fate was created by his owner. The restraining order was very clear. BEFORE the dog is allowed outside the house a muzzle & leash MUST be on him and THEN he would be allowed outside. No excuse Buddy was allowed outside without them on. To blame the dog sitter just means that the owner did not inform and/or stress the importance of the restraining order. It should be noted that BOTH of the owner's dogs have been off property and bitten humans. She has been sued 2x for this. Is it me or is there a pattern here? The owner has a documented history of not controlling her dogs. Had multiple chances to correct her actions & prevent this situation. She chose not to. Very sad. The owner created the situation... not Buddy.