Island Dog Declared Dangerous By Select Board After Killing Cat

A brown hound dog named Pedro has been deemed dangerous by the Select Board after he killed a cat on March 29th.

The Select Board ruled Wednesday evening that the dog, which belongs to island resident Melanie Kotalac, must be kept on a leash at all times pending an assessment by a behavioral specialist. On May 13th, the Select Board will hear the details of the assessment and rule on potential further restrictions for the dog, which could include requiring it to be muzzled or mandating the owner to provide insurance for the dog.

“I would have a higher level of expectation of care from the owner,” Select Board member Brooke Mohr said. “It seems to me that this dog needs to be really contained when it’s not on their own property, when it’s on anyone else’s property.”

On March 29th, Kotalac was at a friend’s house with her dog, Pedro. Pedro entered the house and attacked a cat. The cat died from its injuries, leading to formal complaints, police reports, and ultimately, Wednesday's hearing before the Select Board, which reviewed numerous documents, including text messages between the parties involved, before reaching its determination. 

Before the incident in which Pedro killed the cat, he had attacked at least one other cat and allegedly attacked and killed several deer. The police have been called on Pedro at least four times: twice after he attacked a cat, once when the dog was seen running loose in the area of Hulbert Avenue, and once after he allegedly killed a deer. Animal control officer Seamus McArdle said that on at least two instances, the police believe Pedro has hunted down and killed a deer.

“There is reasonable cause to believe that the dog may pose a threat to public safety,” McArdle wrote in a statement requesting the Select Board hold a hearing to determine whether Pedro qualifies as a dangerous dog.

During the hearing, the Select Board viewed a video showing the dog standing over and appearing to pull at the body of a dead deer.

“Since reaching full maturity, Pedro has been quarantined due to animal bite instances three times,” McArdle said. “Pedro has also been documented killing two white-tailed deer.”

Kotalac apologized for Pedro’s most recent attack, saying she was unaware that the cat was present at the time and that Pedro is friendly to people and other dogs.

“Pedro has never showed aggression toward another dog nor to a human,” Kotalac wrote in a statement included in the Select Board’s packet.

Pedro is currently enrolled in training classes on-island. Several island residents spoke or submitted letters in support of the dog.

“I never witnessed any behavioral issues or aggressive behavior,” Christina Norman wrote in a statement included in the packet. “I never felt concerned that he would have problems with me or any of the people around him.”