Hingham selectmen defend decision to euthanize dog that bit Wakefield's wife
Deluged by questions since they ordered a biting English Mastiff to be euthanized, members of the Hingham board of selectmen have issued a statement defending their decision and leaving open the possibility the dog will be sent to a no-kill shelter.
The selectmen, in a Question and Answer statement posted here, insisted they did not overreact last month when they ordered Gabriella, an English Mastiff owned by Bob and Megan Ullman, to be put to death after it bit two customers at the Ullman's Hingham art gallery.
"The picture of one of the bites which was introduced at our hearing was frightening. Both of the bites were at the level of a child's head,'' the statement said. "English Bull Mastiffs weigh up to 140 pounds and are perfectly capable of killing a child.''
The 3-member board reiterated what the selectmen said last month when they voted to put the dog down: that the Ullmans had been repeatedly warned to keep Gabriella away from the store. The Ullmans own another dog, named Spartacus, and they say both were fixtures at the store.
"There is no reason to think the owners would observe any requirements we set, because they have already ignored them,'' the statement said. "The board concluded that the current owners have forfeited their right to own this dog due to their demonstrated lack of concern for public safety.''
One of the victims was Stacey Wakefield, wife of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who was bitten in June 2008. She described her bite as a 1 1/2 inch wound on her thigh that broke the flesh. A year later, the dog bit a second customer, Krista Brewer, who told the selectmen that Gabriella’s teeth caused a puncture wound in her stomach.
The Ullmans have said the dog is not vicious. In its statement, the board noted that Bob Ullman is appealing the decision, and it is possible a judge would agree to send the dog to a shelter. "We would be as delighted as everyone else if the dog found a safe place to be,'' the selectmen said.
Selectmen Chairman Laura Burns said the board took the unusual step of issuing a formal statement to clear up questions about the decision.
"We have been deluged with phone calls about our decision over the dog and we want to clear up some misinformation," Burns said, after the board's meeting Tuesday night when the statement was issued.
She said there are wild rumors board members have been hearing and wanted to clarify with a question and answer type statement of the facts.
"We didn't want to repeat the rumors because then people would say I heard it at the selectmen's meeting," Burns said. "These things have a way of taking on a life of their own," she said.
The text of a statement issued by the Board of Selectmen can be read by clicking on the link below.
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