On April 20, Maghan Moynahan was getting ready for Easter Sunday church service with her two children, 4 and 8, when their dog Capone started coughing. She said they removed the 2-year-old shepherd-pit bull mix's collar out of concern it might be irritating his throat. A little while later he escaped through an open door and would not come back when called.
Moynahan and her family say they looked for the dog and left a telephone message for Fitchburg Animal Control Officer Sue Kowaleski to let her know the dog was loose without his identifying collar. She said Kowaleski was familiar with the dog from past instances when he had gotten loose. Moynahan said she later learned that Kowaleski was out sick for a few days and did not get the message.
"He was a perfect dog, with no signs of aggression," said Moynahan.
Moynahan insisted Capone had always been a sweet, gentle dog that she trusted around her children.
Gabriel Lorman, 22, of Fitchburg, said that after Capone escaped, the dog somehow entered his building. Lorman held him there until animal control arrived.
Moynahan does not believe the stories from shelter volunteers that Capone was aggressive and attacked another dog in the shelter, which lead to his euthanization within 48 hours of his escape.
Lorman called the city's euthanization of Capone "ridiculous" and unjustified.
"He was friendly to me and my girlfriend," said Lorman. "He wasn't vicious. The only thing he growled at was my dog... and he growled at the dog officer. I was with him pretty much the whole day and that's about it."
Assistant Animal Control Officer Michael East declined to comment, citing the Fitchburg Police Department's ongoing investigation of Capone's euthanization.
Amy Egeland (aka Amy Leach), the part-time manager of the Fitchburg Animal Shelter, also said she is unable to comment because of the investigation. The shelter is mostly staffed by volunteers, including Carol Stacy who said Capone was a vicious, aggressive dog that indirectly caused Egeland to be injured and was a known problem animal in another city.
Another source identified that city as Lawrence. Calls to Lawrence police and animal-control departments to confirm this were not immediately returned.
"It wasn't that sweet little dog people are making it out to be," said Stacy.
Stacy said East had to bring Capone back from Lorman's home with a catchpole, which is loop at the end of a long pole that protects the user from being bitten.
In Fitchburg, stray dogs are put in caged enclosures that are officially under the domain of the animal control division. After one week, the animals are moved to a different area and are under the domain of the Fitchburg Animal Shelter. In both stages, the same shelter volunteers feed and care for the dogs.
Stacy said Capone was aggressive and tried to escape his cage in front of Egeland and visiting certified animal experts who train and evaluate the visitors. Stacy said Capone got halfway out of his cage and attacked another dog, which became agitated and attacked Egeland.
"It was kind of a mess," said Stacy.
She said Capone also ripped up part of the chain-link fence in his cage.
Since the dog was in the custody of animal control, Stacy said it was the animal-control division's decision to euthanize the animal. She said Kowaleski was notified of what happened but did not see Capone. Kowaleski authorized East to euthanize the animal, Stacy said.
Moynahan said she got a call from Kowaleski last Tuesday, less than 48 hours after Capone ran off, in which she asked her to come identify the dog's body.
"I don't understand what happened," said Moynahan. "The story, it doesn't make sense."
Moynahan maintained Capone was a well-behaved dog that she would take for baths and other appointments without incident.
When asked what she wants to happen now, Moynahan said she wants whoever authorized the euthanization of Capone to lose their job.
Captain Linda Swears of the Fitchburg Police Department confirmed that the investigation of exactly what happened, and how Capone acted, is ongoing.
(Lowell Sun - April 30, 2014)
