Dangerous dog to be neutered, trained

Feb 19, 2020

The Selectmen ordered the owner of a dangerous dog to comply with Animal Control Officer Cheryl Gorveatt-Dill’s recommendations at the board’s Tuesday night meeting.

Samiat Finni appeared before the board, along with her son, following three incidents in which the family’s dog, a one-year-old blue cane corso, bit various people.

The dog, which weighs about 98 pounds, has not yet been neutered and is expected to grow slightly larger. Finni has licensed, registered, and vaccinated the animal.

On December 28, 2019, the dog bit the hand of a FedEx worker delivering a package to the home. At the time, the dog was on a leash. The bite broke the skin on the worker’s hand.

The second bite occurred on January 4 when a twelve-year-old girl visiting the home was roughhousing with other kids. The dog, seemingly overwhelmed, bit the girl’s foot, again breaking the skin.

Neither of the first two injuries were especially serious.

The third and most serious bite occurred when Finni’s son was taking the dog for a walk on a leash on January 25. Although the dog is usually muzzled, it wasn’t on this occasion.

A neighbor who lives several doors down from Finni on Nicholas Drive was getting out from her car. She approached the boy and the dog, asking to pet the dog. The boy said that she couldn’t pet the dog, but the neighbor’s hand was already extended. The dog lunged and bit her hand with enough force to break multiple bones.

Finni was clearly distressed by the incidents, and has already taken several steps to make the situation safer.

She has purchased “dangerous dog” signs, a muzzle, and a secure pen for the dog to be in outside. The pen will also have a cover so the dog can’t climb out.

While Finni has had the dog in training, she will be sending it to a more intensive three-week course on March 5, after which she will have the dog neutered and a microchip implanted. The trainer specializes in blue cane corsos and similar breeds. In the future, the dog will only be walked while wearing a muzzle, on a short, strong lead, and while handled by an adult.