West Tisbury selectmen postponed their order to destroy two Akitas for another week with the condition that the owners come up with a plan to turn over ownership of the dogs to a third party.
The owners, Taggart Young and Anna Bolotovsky, and their attorney proposed at the selectmen’s weekly meeting on Wednesday to have both of the dogs turned over to Ms. Bolotovsky’s mother and sister. But selectman Cynthia Mitchell said the town was not in the position to “assess the worthiness” of Ms. Bolotovsky’s family and would only sign an agreement that included a third party, such as an Akita rescue group.
“If you care enough about the dogs to fashion an agreement that has the town turning over the two dogs to this third party group for placement, to me that’s something to look at,” Ms. Mitchell said.
The agreement also would have to include all compensation and fees associated with the dogs, and criminal repercussions if the dogs were to return to the Island.
“I see no way that these dogs can remain under the ownership of these people,” she continued. “But absent something that has those components I would not change my mind on the euthanization order. I’m ready to sign that.”
Last week the selectmen unanimously voted to euthanize both dogs, who had killed 14 of neighbor Richard Andre’s chickens and two geese in three separate incidents. The selectmen were set to sign the order on Saturday but selectman Richard Knabel chose not to make the motion to sign the euthanization order due to the newly proposed possibility of placing the dogs in different ownership.
This will be a second attempt at an agreement between the selectmen and the dog owners. The first agreement called for the dogs to be banished from the Island rather than destroyed, but that decision was reversed when Mr. Young attempted to free one of the animals, Zion, from the town pound against selectmen’s orders. The other dog, Sensi, is in Newton with Ms. Bolotovsky’s family.
Selectman and chairman of the board Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter 3rd remains in favor of destroying the dogs. Mr. Knabel advised the owners and their attorney, John Rankin, to thoroughly review their options.
“We have to see something in front of us we can read and consider,” he said. “I understand my colleagues’ position, but you need to think carefully about what it is you’re proposing here.”
The agreement is due to be reviewed at the next selectmen’s meeting.
This article appears in February 10, 2012.
If the owners do not agree to the terms of surrendering the dogs to a third party, can the dogs be forceably removed and given to an Akita rescue? The owners are 100% at fault and the dogs should not be punished for how they are bred to behave. If the owners had any snese of humility, they would realize they are not capable of taking care of such such strong willed animal and do the right thing by turning them over. An animal’s life is not used as a pawn in a battle of pride.
How unfortunate that the West Tisbury Board of Selectmen has decided to backtrack from their decision to euthanize those dogs. While I’m guessing that nobody wants to be the “bad guy” who gave the order to put the dogs down, have the Selectmen given sufficient reflection on the consequences of failing to do so?
Why should another town be the dumping ground for dogs that have now had a taste of killing? They will most likely end up in a town with a higher density of population than West Tisbury with more children, elderly and, yes, more pets as potential victims of “bad dog” behavior. The Selectmen will have simply shifted the location of the problem, and not solved it.
If these dogs are relocated, they should be confined to the maximum extent possible. I would also advocate that the a Public Notice, paid for by the dogs’ owners, be placed in the local newspapers of their new home, notifying area residents of the dogs’ past history, the location of their new home, and describing the process by which this relocation took place.
Public safety demands transparency in this matter, and I sincerely hope the West Tisbury Selectmen will not solve their problem by making it a problem for somebody else to solve. Thank You