During the May 7 Marion Board of Selectmen meeting, the board voted to classify a dog
belonging to Michael and Kate Devoll as “dangerous” during a dog hearing pertaining to an alleged attack on March 3, during which the Devolls’ dog was reported to have attacked two dogs and their owner in the Olde Knoll Road neighborhood.
Diane Kelly of Olde Knoll Road said she witnessed the attack and, in a letter dated March 16 and signed by several neighbors, described various incidents of dog aggression and barking at the Devolls’ property.
According to Michael Devoll, although he did not witness the entire encounter, he is uncertain whether it was actually an attack and not a “dog fight.” He said once he came out and picked up his dog, the incident was over. He also stated that his dog had two bites on both front paws.
“The dog’s no longer at our home, much to the chagrin of a sad nine-year-old boy without a dog,” Devoll said. He reported that the dog was relocated to a farm in Westfield, Massachusetts.
Animal Control Officer Susan Connor said she was called to the scene on March 3 and saw the woman who was attacked being treated by EMS; however, she did not speak to the victim directly.
At the Devolls, she said she did not observe any injuries on the Devolls’ dog, and no injuries were reported; otherwise, the other dogs would have had to be quarantined, as well, a standard consequence of a dog attack.
Connor stated that there were subsequent reports of the dog being loose on the property and of quarantine orders being violated, but there was no proof.
Margie Baldwin said her son owns the two dogs (small terriers) that were attacked and she dog-sits them during the day. She did not witness the attack, but described the dogs’ scars and how the owner’s experience was “extremely traumatic.”
Police Chief Jon Garcia said Town Counsel advised him that should the board determine the dog is “dangerous,” it should be reported to the town where the dog now lives.
If a dog is deemed dangerous, Connor stated, “That will follow that dog anywhere in the Commonwealth.”
Before the hearing was over, Devoll stated, “I live and work in the community. I don’t want this played out in the press – and it is. We want to be good neighbors and we want to do the right thing and we think we’ve done those steps.”
The board ordered that, should the dog ever return to Marion, that it be confined at the property either indoors or in a secure pen, and muzzled and leashed securely when out in public.
Also during the meeting, the board spoke with Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Marc LeBlanc about televising the ZBA meetings, which will indeed be recorded from now on with ORCTV. LeBlanc wanted to know the real reason behind the request to televise, and Waterman told him the only reason was to open the communication better with the public, not because the board was being “picked on,” as Hills put it.
In other matters, the board approved a fireworks proposal from Atlas Pyrotechnics for the Marion July Fourth fireworks display.
The next regular meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for May 21 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
Marion Board of Selectmen
By Jean Perry