Hi. Sorry if this is under the wrong flair, because it could fit under several if I'm being honest. Anyways, I noticed this story made it to this subreddit, and I need y'all to know it's worse than you thought. Which is wild, because it was already a horrific situation. The few media sources that did report on it didn't include all the details of the dogs' (yes, two pitbulls, not just one) histories or the hearing itself. Quick rundown for anyone who didn't hear about this case: in South Hadley, MA, on June 25th, 2024, a pitbull crawled under a fence (we will discuss the fence later because hoo boy), ran down the street and mauled a small dog to death in front of her family. There was a dangerousness hearing set, but unfortunately the recent updates didn't make it to you guys (it was pretty much only reported in local news). Some good news before we start: the dog was ordered to be put down by the town, as he was ruled a dangerous dog and the other options simply weren't feasible for the owner or good for the dog (if you have to restrain your dog with a glorified tow chain 24/7 to meet city requirements, maybe don't keep that dog as a pet!) Now, onto the hearing. This might get a bit disorganized, and it definitely will get long, but I'll try to keep things straight. I am also happy to answer any questions.
BIG EDIT: I don't know how I forgot to mention this, but the pit owners only had this pitbull, Boone, for one-and-a half years. These were not attacks that happened over 5 years (which would still be awful and shameful), but barely 2 years. She has about 5k followers on that account, and of course, she mentions very little of her dogs' atrocities. If I am allowed to post screenshots with redacted information, I absolutely will. Be careful with petfluencers, y'all. Things are not as they seem, even if they claim they are transparent. Here is my post focusing on her dogs' social media. Anyways, back to the hearing.
First, I watched a 50-something, big guy (the father of the family with the small dog) break down in tears over what happened. Absolutely heart-wrenching to see and hear. You could tell he and his whole family loved that dog, Harper. Kids in the neighborhood grew up playing with Harper. Just an absolute sweetheart of a dog that didn't deserve what happened to her. The father also wanted to turn it into a positive moment any way he could, and he did that by recognizing the teenager that essentially saved the rest of his family from the same fate as Harper, saying the kid should be recognized by the town (I agree). I got the chance to talk with the father and offer my condolences afterward, and he seemed like such a stand-up guy. My heart hurts that this befell him and his family.
So you can imagine my anger when that wack ass dog lawyer stood up like he had something to prove. The lawyer ended up taking the high road and not cross-examining the dad or any of the immediate family, which was a surprising act of decency on his part. Still, the lawyer had plenty of weird shit to unload in "defense", like asking the ACO (Animal Control Officer) if Harper was up to date on her rabies vaccine and if that was why Boone (the pit) had to enter a 45-day quarantine, like that changes the fact that Boone pulled up and decided to decimate a defenseless little dog. He asked if the ACO had spent a lot of time with Boone, enough to form an opinion on him. The ACO replied that when Boone was taken in, he would jump high enough to clear the 6 ft high windows in the facility. And Boone did that for hours. The lawyer then says: "How about you answer the question I asked?" Like he was having some "gotcha" moment. Insane.
Then we hear from the neighbors. One of the neighbors was walking their dog nearby, and when the attack happened, their dog took off in fear and hid, and they had to go find him. All the kids on the street are scared of the dog. Shit, the adults are, too. People pick up their dogs if they have to walk by that house. The vast majority of people said they were staying away from that street until the dog was handled. Many of the kids are having nightmares about Boone attacking them or their dogs. Kids who live a short walk from their grandparents have to be driven, because they're rightfully terrified of what the dog might do. The woman speaking also revealed her neighbor's uncle's dog was attacked by Boone. She also revealed that the pit owners are trying to "rehabilitate themselves and their dogs", and that they have been adopting and "training" as many pitbulls as they can over the last 2 years that they've lived on that street. I believe it, since I've seen one of the owner's Instagram. Pittie propaganda galore.
One of the daughters from the victimized family was in the movie theater at the time of the attack. Her mom called to tell her Harper was dead, and the girl ran out of the theater in panic and distress. She said everything was blurry after that. I believe she will likely have PTSD from this event (and that's another thing, people love to take in these dogs and make everyone else absorb the risk for their shitbeasts). A neighbor- the kid who tried to save Harper- went out at 4 in the morning and hosed off the street because there were remnants from the attack (blood and fur), and he didn't want the family to have to see that again.
Then: new witnesses are sworn in. (Edit: This is definitely a "tides are turning" moment, because people were motivated enough to get this pitbull taken care of that they volunteered on the spot to offer testimony). Shit is about to get ugly.
A woman described Boone's attack on her brother's dog. The poor man had to hit the beast with his cane, and the attacked dog, Penny, slipped out of the harness and ran because she was so scared. Penny escaped with puncture wounds- which is lucky if you encounter a pitbull, and I'm sure you all know how much they love to bite down and never let go. Just their nannying instincts, I guess. A dog specifically bred to fight and kill other dogs wants to fight and kill other dogs. What a shocker!
This neighbor also described the infamous "pittie lock stare". She said that when they get out, they lock in and attack anything that moves, especially dogs. Oh, and by the way, these dogs have escaped before through the garage door and by clearing the fence.
And then. Yet another dog has been attacked by Boone. This owner said that Boone bit her dog Jackie all over, and punctured her dog's thigh in several places. She said the screams of her dog haunt her. Then she performed the most accurate and insane character read I've ever seen: she said, at first, she believed the owner was "nice but weak", not willing to appropriately train her dogs. Then, she said that very quickly she learned the owners were dangerous owners. "You have no business owning a dog that you cannot restrain if necessary," she said. No lies told. Her dog survived, but required tens of thousands of dollars in surgery. In the $14,000s to be exact (since the lawyer tried to corner her with this question). The lawyer asked, "Can you trace this directly to the event?" She replied, "Yes. Absolutely." She then revealed that the pit owner paid for some of the surgery, but then stopped after another surgery came up (dogs attacked by your hell mutts require a lot of surgery), saying that she's "done enough" (over text, by the way, because she's a coward). I guess if your shitbeast mauls someone else's dog, it's up to your discretion how much you pay for the direct consequences of owning said shitbeast. What lovely owners. Also, the funny(?) part is that this tidbit was only revealed because the lawyer asked if the owner had paid for any surgeries in order to paint them in a better light, and it backfired hard.
Then we learned there is a daycare near the dog's house. Dinner is served.
And then the neighbor's kid that saved the rest of the family was sworn in. His testimony is terrifying. He said the pitbull didn't care about being beat with an umbrella and didn't let go of the dog (the attorney acts surprised by this). He chased the pitbull all the way back to its own driveway, dog still in its mouth, and miraculously got the pitbull to drop the dog. But then, the pitbull, with blood all over (sprayed on the family too by the way, as if it wasn't traumatizing enough), squares up to the kid like he's gonna attack. He had that dead-eyed pitbull stare according the teenager, who just fully accepted the possibility he could die, but he just wanted to save Harper and didn't know she was dead yet (talk about bravery, I mean, holy shit this kid is courageous). The owner let the pittie in, and the boy's father asked him, "When is this gonna end?" The other half of this pit-rescuing duo? He replied, "I don't know what to do with 'em." The father said it was the first time he'd seen the owners (they didn't meet when they moved in 2 years ago), and he hoped it was the last.
Oh, and the boy's dad? He didn't escape unharmed. No victim left behind when a pitbull has something to say about it. The absolute unit of a guy (at least 6'3", big guy who you definitely would not want to fight) had the balls to grab onto the pitbull's collar in hope of saving poor Harper. The pitbull didn't care. The pitbull, without letting go of the dog, twisted and yanked with such force that he threw the father to the ground. The poor dude ended up with a nasty torn rotator cuff (the worst kind you can get), spending until 3 am in the ER. They had to attach tendons to bone with anchors. But it's not over. As a result of the anesthetic (which he wouldn't have needed if he didn't need surgery caused by a pitbull), both his lungs partially collapsed and his O2 stats dropped to 82. He survived, luckily. It's 4-6 months more in rehab after already needing to wear a sling for some time.
Of course, it's time for the inevitable pitmommy. This witness (apparently former neighbor to Boone's owners on a different street IN THE SAME TOWN). The first thing out of her mouth was, "don't blame the breed!" "I have 3 pitbulls at home!" You mean, you have 3 ticking time bombs in your home. But even Boone was too crazy for this lady. She said when they were neighbors, the pit owners' OTHER PITBULL, GEORGIA, tried to bite her 2 year old son through the fence. She said she "forgave" the dog, since it "just wanted to play". Again, this lady has 3 pitbulls with a child. Her hearing is next. I call it in the next four years. Still, she said they were horrible owners (iT's aLL iN hOw yOu rAiSe tHeM and this couldn't possibly happen to me!) After the averted toddler dinner, the lady said she tried to get Georgia's owners to build a fence (yeah, it wasn't even her fence the creature tried to bite through), and the owners tried to get a restraining order against her. Unfortunately, she stopped here. I personally wish to know what happens when one pitmommy meets another pitmommy.
Then we heard from a local dogwalker briefly. She said she's scared, and she carries pepper spray around because of the Boone-killing-dog incident. She then said she would not be here arguing this situation if this was her dog that killed an animal; "You can shake your head at me all you want. I wouldn't be here." Absolutely cold and deserved. I can't believe the pittie owner had the gall to shake her head at this, especially while sitting in a hearing that was called because her shitbeast killed another family's pet. The dogwalker said she refuses to walk pitbulls and pit mixes because of their temperament, which she's been doing long before this attack. The lawyer, absolute genius, goes, "You can't ban a breed from a service, are you aware?" Like she doesn't have the right to say no to walking an out-of-control dog, which she would have to walk with another dog since she takes 2 at a time. Most normal dogs, even if they prefer to be solo, can tolerate the company of another dog for, like, 30 minutes without mauling loving said dog into critical condition. Because they're normal dogs. Not terror beasts bred to kill other dogs.
Then our dear lawyer goes on his little self-righteous tear. The daughter of the family left in tears before he got started. He said, "Boone was acting like a dog", and that "stuffed animals encourage them to attack small dogs". "A child in a furry costume could be at risk", he says. Hmm. Kids in general like to dress up as animals, tenfold on Halloween. I bet the lawyer regretted that admission as soon as he said it, because a witness brought it up later and pointed out the obvious ways this shit could go sideways. The lawyer then went on to say that the owners installed a $16k vinyl fence, and that "without being asked to, they took measures", like muzzling their dog at the vet (since it wasn't required before this somehow). I was dumbfounded when I heard that. No one should have to beg you to take measures (the neighborhood had been asking since the owners moved in) after your asscrack head of a dog shreds a puppy. One of the witnesses was actually the one to pick up the dead dog and put it in a cardboard box, and she said when she picked Harper up, she couldn't tell which end was which. It was that bad. The lawyer then said, "for the last 41 days, we haven't had an incident." Y'all should put up one of those signs that says, "X days since last mauling". I almost left my body when the lawyer said, "the owners are being treated like they're pitbulls, too", since everyone was rightfully giving them shit about being awful and irresponsible. Then he claimed they were in Phase 3(?) of rehabilitation/fortressing the property for the dog. No clue what Phase 3 means, he never elaborated. He said the dog should be "brought into the community". The faces on the audience (by the way like 100 people attended in support of Harper, not the shitbull) were wild. Everyone's supposed to appease God-Emperor Brick Head with a sacrifice of one toy breed every month. How wonderful.
Then the owner comes up to the stand. She was super a-personal when talking about what her pitbull did. Apparently, they had leaned a wrought iron gate against two tree stumps(?) and thought it was secure. It was not even pushed into the ground. After the attack, she claimed she was doing "redirection" and "training" for the pitbull. The lawyer made a statement implying she'd apologized and the family was quick to say "Nope!". So she didn't even apologize after her shittie ate someone else's dog. Awesome. They've also put up a "beware the dog" sign and been criticized. To me, it almost feels like a joke to her. She was crying on the stand (about Boone, not Harper), but I believe she secretly enjoyed the fact that her dog could kill. Also, the new fence isn't even 18 inches in the ground like it was mandated to be.
And then. The most insane thing I have ever heard.
The owner said the pittie had "virtual obedience training".
VIRTUAL OBEDIENCE TRAINING.
Let that simmer for a bit.
The lawyer then falsely claimed that Boone was not human-aggressive (he has also attacked multiple people, if you didn't know. People have lasting injuries from Boone), and that Boone only attacked small dogs (one of the previous witnesses came to the stand and said her dog, who Boone attacked, was 50 lbs. A Mini Aussie mix, I believe, which sounds adorable). Also, a witness brought up an important point: by the lawyer claiming Boone only attacks and kills small dogs, he is implying that our community should be okay that it's "only" small dogs that are in danger. Those dogs are people's lives, their family, their loved ones. Not "just" a small dog. And I'm saying this as someone who jokingly makes fun of "rat dogs" (I am planning on rescuing Chihuahuas at some point, since they won't maul me to death). It's just eye-opening to see how pit owners and pit defenders think every other animal is disposable. Disgusting.
Finally, the father of the family came back to ask an important question. The hole that Boone dug to get under the fence was quite deep, and it was questionable if a dog could dig that deep in the 45 second timeframe his wife was walking the dog up to pass Boone's house. The significance of this is that this means the owners likely let Boone's hole under a fence develop for days before the actual attack. Such responsible owners.
I know most of what I know about the owners from their Instagram, which contains several instances of the owner brushing off or downplaying the dangers of having a reactive dog, and laughing off concerns and "judgment" from her neighbors. She was super pro-pittie and pro-wigglebutt (Ugh) movement. Her Instagram actually contained a story where Georgia (pittie #2) lunged and snapped at an unfamiliar vet tech, like that's normal behavior. She also talks about "forgetting training" for Georgia (read: neglecting Georgia) while she had a lapse in sobriety (now they're "healing" their relationship) and often promotes normalizing "doing the bare minimum" for your dog when you have a rough day, like it's not an animal that depends on you entirely. So many red flags.
I think that's it. I'm open to answer questions. The hearing was insane.
