Appeal to Get Guilford Dog off Death Row To Be Heard Wednesday

GUILFORD, CT - A long awaited hearing in front of the state Department of Agriculture to spare the life an 8-year-old, 70 pound pit bull mix is slated for Wednesday morning.

That hearing is where the owner of Simon, David Young, hopes to reverse the town’s decision that the dog be put to death after Simon bit a teenager.

But if Young and his many supporters are hoping that there will be an immediate decision on the appeal issued Wednesday then they’ll be disappointed. An official in the Department of Agriculture’s office on Tuesday said the procedure is for a hearing officer to hear the appeal “and then issue a written decision following the hearing - but not the same day.”

On Sunday, where several dozen people stood in front of Guilford Town Hall and held signs and chanted “Save Simon, Enough is Enough,” Young said he was hoping a decision to reverse the town’s decision might come on Wednesday.

Currently, Simon is locked up at the Guilford Police Animal Shelter.

On Sunday, Young said he was looking forward to Wednesday’s hearing.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for the hearing,” Young said, who added that Sunday’s rally was an attempt to keep Simon’s story in people’s minds in advance of that hearing.

The incident that caused Simon to be removed from Young’s home dates back nearly a year, to August 2017.

A police report states that Simon bit and chased a 13-year-old neighbor who entered Young’s yard with a lacrosse stick to retrieve his ball. The boy needed stitches.

Young says that Simon was just protecting his property.

But the police report said Simon had another incident, this time with another dog, six months earlier. The report also cited complaints from several neighbors who claimed they walk the neighborhood with sticks because Simon gets out of the yard.

Young has refuted those reports.

Young, his lawyer Thom Page, and a band of Simon’s supporters who habitually attend selectmen meetings, believe First Selectman Matt Hoey has the authority to get Simon off “death row.”

The decision to euthanize the dog was made before Hoey became first selectman. The decision, which has been on hold for almost a year, was made after hearings by the Guilford Police Department and its animal control officer after the boy was bit last August.

The decision was made by after hearing testimony from Young, the bite victim, neighbors of Young, and police reports were reviewed.

Young said he has a problem with the town’s decision “because it was based on pure speculation.”

“There is no evidence that the dog will bite again,” Young said.

Young has been trying to make a case to reverse the verdict over the past few months by reaching out to media outlets, establishing a GoFundMe page, hiring a lawyer versed in animal law and a New York-based media relations agency, encouraging residents to speak out, and establishing the Facebook page “Save Simon.” https://www.facebook.com/SaveS...

Hoey has had this to say about the issue: “As has been stated at the last few Board of Selectmen meetings, we are adhering to the opinion/advice of Town Counsel that we will not be discussing the merits of this case and do not have statutory authority to intervene in the process defined by state statute.”

Hoey added: “Through the will of the Connecticut Legislature, other than guidance by those in the chain of command in the Guilford Police Department, no other Board, Commission, Officer or employee of the Town of Guilford has any jurisdiction over the decision-making process that would diminish the discretion of an animal control officer and ultimately the Commissioner of Agriculture with regard to restraint or disposal of a dog.”

“I understand the concerns many people have and, being a long-time dog owner, appreciate the challenges that this case presents,” Hoey said.

Photos by Jack Kramer