SUFFIELD, Conn. — An exclusive follow up to the story of an allegedly deadly dog attack in Suffield. The state has issued a preliminary ruling that a pit bull named Dexter will be euthanized. Dexter’s owners say the fight isn’t over yet.
The pit bull named Dexter allegedly attacked a 95-year-old woman at their home on Thrall Avenue. But the Hornish family says Dexter was provoked. For the first time, FOX61 obtained the 911 call audio of the alleged dog attack in November of 2019. It was the incident that led to the state Department of Agriculture recently ordering Dexter to be euthanized.
The allegedly brutal and deadly attack was on 95-year-old Janet D'Aleo of Enfield, who, along with her home health aide, was visiting the Hornish home. "A greeting was interpreted as an attack and things escalated from there," said Neil Hornish. The Hornish family says they’ll fight the ruling - which is preliminary. "He is a member of our family," said Annie Hornish. "We are not going to stop fighting for him. We do not believe this was a mauling, we are convinced of that."
The Hornish’s claim authorities relied too much on bite photographs, ignored the expertise of animal behaviorists and refused to process key pieces of evidence that include a broken stool that was allegedly used by the home health aide to provoke Dexter. "The aide picked up a metal step stool and struck the dog five or six times," said Neil Hornish.
Citing pending litigation, Suffield Police animal control wouldn’t comment. The state Department of Agriculture also did not respond to a request for comment. Dexter is being held at a Suffield Veterinary facility. The Hornish’s can’t touch him and can only see him for an hour a week. "During the height of COVID the facility shut down and we didn’t see him for 10 weeks, but he’s kept in solitary confinement there is no physical contact allowed," said Neil Hornish. Annie added, "We lost a very close family friend and that along was very tragic and having our dog being kept in solitary confinement since then approaching 1 year is cruel."
New video of Dexter shows him fetching a tennis ball while a picture shows him lying beside a bed with a child. "We’ve had two behavioral evaluations on him which they both concluded that he is not an aggressive dog," said Annie.
FOX61 reached out to the D'Aleo family attorney, John Houlihan, who told FOX61. "The D’Aleo family is relieved and grateful to have received this administrative decision. This decision should serve to clarify the public record as to what happened in this preventable and horrific tragedy. The hearing officer dismissed the completely unfounded version of events that the Hornishes contrived almost immediately to escape responsibility and to spare this dog despite the vicious attack that claimed their mother."
The Department of Agriculture is expected to issue a final ruling on Dexter’s fate in a few weeks. The Hornish’s are also talking with the town about an alternative to euthanization that would let him live out the rest of his life in an out of state animal sanctuary.