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Dogs Involved in Teen's Mauling Death to Be Euthanized

Five dogs will be euthanized after they were involved in the mauling death of a teenage boy in Dighton, Massachusetts.

Ryan Hazel, 14, of Rehoboth, was found dead at a property at 2477 Maple Swamp Rd. in Dighton by police responding to a 911 call for a pack of dogs attacking a human on the evening of May 9.

Eleven dogs in total were taken into custody after the attack. Wednesday, the Dighton Board of Selectmen voted that five of the animals should be put down.

The dogs will be euthanized within the next 48 hours.

"Gigi, a Dutch shepherd, 2 years old; Buffy, a Belgian Malinois, 8 months old," said , the chair of the Board of Selectmen, reading the dog' names.

"It was a tough decision. However, it was the right decision," said Ken Pacheco, the chair of the Board of Selectmen, adding that the board wasn't "losing any sleep" over choosing to put the animals down.

Before the vote, there was a moment of silence for Hazel. The boy was caring for the dogs on the Maple Swamp Road property when he was attacked. He had been doing the job regularly for about a year.

"If there's nowhere for them to go, it has to be done," said Derek Parks, who lives near the home where the attack took place. "I hate to see it done. I mean, where else can they put them?"

Parks said that before the attack, one dog even escaped the property.

He thinks the owner, dog trainer Scott Dunmore, should face repercussions.

"He's the one, he's the one in charge of these," said Parks.

None of the dogs were licensed or had their rabies shots, according to the town.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said no foul play was suspected. Dunmore has been cooperating with the investigation, according to town officials.

It's unlikely he'll face any criminal charges.

"It's a possibility, but I don't foresee that happening," said Pacheco. "It's a tragic situation that won't undo anything that's already happened."

The other dogs that were on the property but weren't involved will not be euthanized.

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