Five Dogs Will Be Euthanized After Attacking, Killing 14-Year-Old Boy

Jack Phillips
By Jack Phillips
May 23, 2019US News
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Five Dogs Will Be Euthanized After Attacking, Killing 14-Year-Old Boy
Crime scene with police tape. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Officials said the five dogs that attacked and killed a 14-year-old Massachusetts boy will be euthanized. The boy had regularly taken care of the animals.

The Dighton Board of Selectmen voted on May 22 to put down the five dogs, which mauled Ryan Hazel to death on May 9. According to MassLive, Belgian Malinois dogs and Dutch shepherds were involved.

Scott Dunmore, 49, who trained the animal, didn’t contest the decision to put them down.

Dunmore’s website said he has been training dogs for police for about 15 years, according to the Daily Mail.

“I just want to thank for the board, the Dighton community for the support and comfort that they have given Ryan Hazel’s parents during this terrible, terrible time,” Dighton’s Board Chairman Kenneth Pacheco said in the meeting, which was uploaded to YouTube.

He added that “we’re a small town with a big heart, and that’s not just a slogan.” He added, “You people have shown me how important it is that when something like this happens that we unite and we try to help each other, so I just want to thank all the people in town for all the work that they’ve done.”

Officials have not identified the specific dog or dogs responsible for the boy’s death, according to MassLive.

Hazel had been taking care of the dogs for about a year. He went to the property to do some chores before he was attacked.

The boy’s grandmother waited in the driveway as he did the chores. But when he didn’t come back for an hour, she called his parents and they had a neighbor check on him.

Hazel was found in the backyard with a number of injuries as four dogs roamed the property, seven were caged, and one dog had escaped, the report said.

“At a young age, Ryan knew he wanted to be work in the medical field and was enrolled in the community health program at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School where he played football and ran track and field,” his obituary read. “Prior to High School, he played football for Dighton-Rehoboth Pop Warner, baseball for Dighton Little League, and wrestling. He enjoyed riding horses and his ATV.”

Neighbors, earlier this month, said they had seen some of the dogs walking around the neighborhood.

“There’s been a few situations where she was approached by a few dogs kind of running at her and then stopped at the last second,” neighbor Benjamin Caron said, saying they approached a family member, reported NBC 10. “Just an awful, awful situation I would never expect that to happen on my street.”

“Last night we had a tragic situation happen in town here where a young teenage boy lost his life. Things like that should never happen to anybody, never mind a 14-year-old boy,” said Dighton Police Chief Robert MacDonald in the report. “It’s a very, very sad thing.”

From The Epoch Times

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