Pittsfield Creates Separate Authority for Dangerous Dogs
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Animal Control Commission will no longer have to make tough decisions on dangerous dogs, as a hearing authority will now handle that.
This is a part of several changes made to the commission over the past couple of months, including fewer members and no requirement for veterinarian representation on the panel.
"So this commission is supposed to meet four times a year to discuss happy things," Chair Renee Dodds told members in early June.
After a lengthy discussion, the panel voted to have a Bradford Street dog euthanized, Dodds explaining, "We don't do this a lot, but just multiple bites and child bites is just where we kind of draw the line."
The city code states that the Animal Control Commission serves in an advisory capacity to the city's dog officer, coordinating "to the fullest extent possible the work of all public and private agencies concerned with animal care, protection, and control."
In March, Dodds reported working with Mayor Peter Marchetti and other officials to make their charge easier. The amendment reducing the number of members, removing requirement of a veterinarian representative, establishing the Animal Hearing Authority, and other changes were ordained at the City Council's April 8 meeting.
"We are going to have it changed so we do not need a veterinarian on the commission because, as discussed, we have not had a vet since [Dr. John Reynolds] passed away, and it's extremely hard to find, especially in this time where there's just a lack of vets in the area, and they're all just extremely busy and overwhelmed. We've also decided to put the commission down to five people from the seven," she said.
"… We haven't been able to meet as a commission because we need seven members."
Reynolds, former owner of Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital, died in 2021 after his kayak overturned in Richmond Pond.
With the changes, the monthly meetings requirement is moved to quarterly or as needed.
"There would be a three-member board that could handle the dangerousness hearings or nuisance dog hearings, and there would be a formal designation of an animal control officer at the Pittsfield Police Department that currently is encapsulated in the city ordinances," City Solicitor Devon Grierson explained at the commission's March meeting.
The Animal Hearing Authority will have three members, including the chair of the Animal Control Commission or their appointee, and will meet monthly or as needed. John Perreault, executive director of Berkshire Humane Society, and Patrick McLaughlin have been appointed to the hearing authority and will serve alongside Dodds.
"You're welcome," Dodds told the commission members after agreeing to serve on the authority that will be faced with tough situations and even tougher decisions around people's pets.
Tags: animal control, dangerous dog, dogs,
