EASTHAM — Three Siberian huskies belonging to Richard Moore will be the subject of a dangerous dog hearing on March 25, prompted by two attacks on local livestock on Feb. 9. The dogs had dug their way out of their owner’s fenced yard.
The two large male dogs killed several chickens on Meadow Drive, then moved on to attack a 32-year-old mare in a paddock on Barrow House Road. The third husky, a female, was retrieved by its owner shortly after its escape, according to the incident report filed by Eastham Animal Control Officer Stephanie Sykes, who requested the hearing.
Dangerous dog hearings are not frequent occurrences in Eastham, according to Town Manager Jacqueline Beebe. “This is the first we’ve had in many years,” said Beebe, who thought there may have been one in 2015. Ed Daniels, president of the Eastham Dog Owners Association, couldn’t recall a dangerous dog hearing held in the last 15 years.
The hearing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday at Eastham Town Hall. The select board will preside, and remote participation will be available.
The three huskies that are the subject of the hearing, Fernando, Barkus, and Peaches, live at Moore’s home at 20 Boreen Road.
The dogs have a history of running loose. According to Sykes’s report, they escaped their fenced yard at least six times between August and December 2023.
On Feb. 9, the three huskies dug their way to freedom at about 11:30 a.m. Moore, who then set out by car to locate them, found Peaches about 10 minutes later.
Fernando and Barkus, however, were on the loose for nearly three hours. Sykes was off duty, but local police, who were out looking for the two dogs, kept her abreast of the situation.
Sykes was first notified that two large huskies were loose by the animal control officer in Wellfleet, who reported that the dogs had wandered over the town line but seemed to have returned to Eastham. That’s when Sykes contacted the Eastham police for assistance.
After killing several chickens on Meadow Drive, Fernando and Barkus were next reported at 115 Barrow House Road harrying an elderly Morgan named Mattie, who is owned by Virginia Delaney. A relative of Delaney’s who lives in the neighborhood reported that he saw the dogs attacking the horse from behind from either side.
According to the police report, he tried to scare the huskies away by shouting and waving his arms but backed off when one of the dogs lunged toward him “with teeth bared.” He finally scared the two dogs out of the paddock by banging a snow shovel against the fencing. Then he took Mattie into the stable and contacted a veterinarian.
Moore’s wife, Elisabeth “Edda” Fiebiger, arrived at Barrow Road in her Jeep soon afterwards. Fernando and Barkus, by then standing at the end of the driveway, leapt into her car and were taken home, according to Sykes’s report.
Veterinarian Dana Pantano, whose Black Pond Veterinary Service specializes in large animals, treated and bandaged Mattie’s wounds, which included lacerations on the inside and outside of her rear legs with a few deep cuts. The horse’s back had been protected by a blanket, which was ripped in two places and covered in the dogs’ saliva, according to Sykes, who had arrived at the Barrows Road home at 3 p.m., according to her written report.
The veterinarian had to sedate the horse during treatment and prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection.
The vet’s bill totaled $1,348. Under Massachusetts law, the dog owner is financially responsible for the treatment.
Sykes cited Moore for several violations of the town’s dog regulations, assessing fines of $450. None of the dogs was licensed by the town at the time of the Feb. 9 incident. According to Sykes’s report, proof of rabies vaccinations — a licensing requirement — had not yet been provided to the town clerk. All three dogs have since been licensed. Moore was also cited for allowing the dogs to “run at large.”
Sykes requested the dangerous dog hearing based on the history of the dogs being loose, “prior bite history to a dog and person, noncompliance of the dog owners with Eastham bylaws and Mass. state laws, previous warnings and citations,” culminating in the Feb. 9 incident.
According to Eastham’s dog regulations, the upcoming hearing will include testimony under oath from the complaining party and from any other witnesses the select board believes to have relevant information. Within 14 days after the hearing, the board will issue an order “concerning the restraint or disposal of such dangerous or vicious dogs as may be deemed necessary and in the public interest,” according to the town’s bylaws.
Beebe said Sykes is expected to include her recommendations in the packet for the meeting.
Daniels, who said he had marked Monday’s hearing on his calendar, said the association generally has no involvement in situations like this.
“It’s one of those things we discuss and follow,” Daniels said. “I suppose that under some circumstances we might get involved, but not as a matter of course.”
Daniels lives near Boreen Road and said he had once encountered the huskies when they were being walked on leashes by their owner. Daniels said his elderly Labrador retriever was walking off leash at the time but immediately returned to his side when called. The huskies, he said, although kept under tight control by the owner, “were really very, very aggressive at the end of the leash.”
Regarding the reported behavior of the huskies on Feb. 9, Daniels said he feels bad for the owner of the dogs, but “let the town rules take their course.”
