Carpino seeks panel to review dog attacks

Selectman: ‘State has dropped the ball’

PORTLAND — Spurred on by a pair of recent dog attacks, state Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, has introduced legislation intended to resolve a major sticking point in the outcome of these and similar incidents.

Carpino’s proposal, HB-5367, The Disposition of Certain Biting and Attacking Dogs, was the subject of a public hearing in Hartford Friday morning. First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield, who had appealed to Carpino for assistance in connection with the attacks, was scheduled to testify during the hearing held by the General Assembly’s Environment Committee.

“Nothing has changed, and this has been going on for two years.” Maria Demarest, wife of dog-attack victim

In an email earlier this week, Bransfield wrote, “Rep. Carpino ... is addressing our needs concerning dog matters in our community.”

Carpino’s proposal would “convene a working group to examine (1) the prevalence of vicious dog attacks in the state, (2) develop recommendations for how to reduce the number of such attacks, and (3) how to mitigate the effects of disposal orders for such attacking animals on municipalities and the state.” The proposal grew out of a dog attack about two years ago in which a resident walking his dog was attacked by another dog trying to get at his dog.

The man, Steven Demarest, was knocked to the ground three times by the attacking dog. Demarest suffered dog bites to his ankles, the back of his thigh and in his groin region, according to dramatic testimony by his wife during a Board of Selectmen meeting.

Steven Demarest was taken to Middlesex Hospital for the treatment of his injuries and required multiple stitches, his wife, Maria Demarest, said. The couple also needed treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.

The town’s animal control officer recommended the dog be put down.

But the dog’s owner protested that order, and now, two years later, the dog remains a tenant at the pound while officials await the results of state review of the order the animal be euthanized.

Describing herself as “a hostage in my own home,” Maria Demarest told the selectmen, “Nothing has changed, and this has been going on for two years.”

The proposal to euthanize the dog, Rocky, was forwarded to the state Department of Agriculture for review and a final decision. Selectmen were critical of the amount of time that has passed without a decision by the DoA.

Deputy First Selectman Louis J. Pear described the delay as “unacceptable.” Dog attacks “are a big problem here in Portland,” he said, one that has the potential to become “disastrous.”

His colleague, Selectman Benjamin R. Srb said, “The state has dropped the ball.”

That history — and a mid-November attack that resulted in the deaths of one of a couple’s two Yorkies — spurred Bransfield to reach out to Carpino.

“We are very grateful to Christie for her attention to this important situation,” she said in an email earlier this week.

Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media Lizzie, right, one of Portland couple William and Ann Barrows’ Yorkies, died Nov. 15 after a Rottweiler/Labrador mix got away from his owner, grabbed her and shook her on Main Street. At left is Lola.

Contributed photo State Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, and Portland First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield are both advocating for the state to take stricter actions with owners who do not restrain their dogs. Here, Carpino speaks with residents of Covenant Village in...