5 Dogs Mauled 14-Year-Old Boy to Death, To Be Euthanized In Massachusetts

After a 14-year-old boy from Dighton, Massachusetts, was mauled to death, the five dogs involved in the attack were ordered to be euthanized.

Ryan Hazel, a Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School freshman, was doing chores at his house May 9, when he was attacked by five dogs who were roaming near the property. When the victim’s grandmother, who was waiting in the driveway, did not see or hear from the teenager, she called his parents and they had a neighbor check on him. He was found with fatal injuries all over his body, local news outlet Mass Live reported.

On Wednesday, the Board of Selectmen in Dighton voted to have the dogs put down within 48 hours of issuing the order. An additional seven dogs found in the area were caged. It was not immediately clear what was going to happen to them.

“We’re a small town with a big heart, and that’s just not a slog,” Ken Pacheco, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said regarding the decision. “You people have shown me how important it is that when something like this happens, that we unite and we try to help each other, so I just want to thank all the people in town for all the work they’ve done.”

The decision to vote on euthanizing the canines — comprised of a Dutch Shepherd and four Belgian Malinois — came from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the Dighton Police Department, as well as animal control and board of health officials, Dighton Selectman Brett R. Zografos said.

“I know it was difficult, not just on me but on my colleagues and especially for the family and the town that are going through this tragedy,” Zografos said. “It was a sad situation all around to have to make a vote like that.”

The deceased was passionate about animals, and helped care for dogs in the area for nearly a year before he died. The five dogs to be euthanized belonged to Scott Dunmore, 49, a town resident who waived his right to contest any decision made by the board members before the vote. Hazel was taking care of Dunmore’s pets as the latter was out of town, Fox News reported.

“At a young age, Ryan knew he wanted to be work in the medical field and was enrolled in the community health program at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School where he played football and ran track and field,” Hazel's obituary read. “Prior to high school, he played football for Dighton-Rehoboth Pop Warner, baseball for Dighton Little League, and [was also into] wrestling. He enjoyed riding horses and his ATV [an all-terrain vehicle]."

He was survived by his parents, a brother, a sister, his grandparents and several aunts, uncles and cousins.