MASSACHUSETTS -- A 6-month-old pit bull mix that bit a 17-year-old boy in the groin when it lunged for a ball the boy held between his legs was deemed by a dog expert to be poorly trained rather than inherently vicious.
Robert Clark Sr. of Bob Clark's Dog Training and Boarding in Northbridge reported to selectmen at the continuation of a dog hearing Tuesday that Tyson, the pit bull-Weimaraner mix owned by Alex Melanson and his father didn't show signs of rage or vicious tendencies during the seven-day boarding period mandated last month by the board. But he did have what Mr. Clark called "hard mouth," a chomping behavior with his prey instinct stimulated by playing tug-of-war and ball-chasing with no discipline from his owner.
Selectmen voted to require Mr. Melanson to have 10 sessions of dog training, which Mr. Melanson requested be with Millbury canine Officer Daniel Daly; to require Mr. Melanson to submit written reports each month, signed by Officer Daly, updating the board on the training progress; to remove all "tug toys" and to require Tyson to be leashed and muzzled at all times when outside the house until Officer Daly, Mr. Clark and regional Animal Control Officer Daniel Chauvin agree the muzzle can be removed.
Tyson must also be neutered, which Mr. Melanson said was scheduled for Friday.
The mother of the victim, who required 30 stitches from what she acknowledged was an accidental attack, said, "I just want to make sure that Alex takes it serious ... It shouldn’t be joked around about on Facebook or Snapchat. I’ve had things sent to me from all over that it’s a joke."
She continued: “It was a traumatic experience for him (her son).”
In other business, Town Manager Robert J. Spain Jr. told selectmen that the town received a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on top of a previous state grant, for the final pieces of financing a new energy-efficient HVAC system for the Municipal Building. The news was welcomed as several fans blew loudly in the selectmen's meeting room in an effort to moderate the temperature.
(Telegram & Gazette - July 15, 2015)
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