A politically fraught decision to euthanize a dog set off tempers on the town’s Select Board on Tuesday, with two members recusing themselves and a third voting no despite the pit bull terrier’s long record of aggressive behavior.
In a rare case, the elected board was asked by town officials to affirm a decision to euthanize the dog after failed attempts by the town’s animal control officer to get the dog’s owner to address the concerns.
Board members Kevin Canty and Dick Quintal recused themselves from the vote. Select Board member Bill Keohan voted no.
That left David Golden and Board Chair Deb Iaquinto to make the politically no-win decision to put down a dog in a state inching closer to joining Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont as designated “no kill” states.
In an interview Wednesday, Iaquinto said she cannot recall another time the Select Board was asked to intervene on such a decision.
“I was very surprised when it came up on our agenda,” Iaquinto said. “It does seem like it was a very unusual situation in Plymouth.”
Tempers flared after the controversial 2-1 vote when Golden said something off the microphone to Keohan.
“What did you just say?” Keohan asked, indignant.
“Mr. Keohan, I think that you are a coward,” Golden replied, this time using his microphone.
“That is not what you just said,” Keohan retorted. “Say what you said. The full language of what you said.”
“Mr. Keohan, I said that you are a coward,” Golden repeated.
“People need to know the full language that you’re using on this board,” Keohan said.
Iaquinto intervened at this point, saying: “We will not be attacking each other.”
‘There is only one attack coming from this board member who just used the f word to describe myself,” Keohan said.
After the board adjourned, Golden apologized to the board for his outburst, Keohan and Iaquinto said.
In a text to the Independent on Wednesday, Golden reasserted his claim.
“Bill Keohan chose to ignore the recommendation of the dog hearing officer and gamble with public safety,” Golden texted. “Leaders are elected to make difficult decisions, not avoid them. When he refused to act in the face of clear danger, that was cowardice.”
It is rare for any Select Board to order a dog euthanized in Massachusetts. The Hanson Select Board ordered a dog put down in May.
Following an April 29 hearing, the town’s dog hearing officer, Christopher Badot, ordered the owner, Rosemary Quintal, to keep the dog – Thunder – secured at her home, provide proof she made a reasonable effort to obtain at least $100,000 in liability insurance in the event the dog attacks anyone else, license the dog, and neuter it.
The order stipulated failure to comply by July 3 would force the town to euthanize the dog.
Quintal told the Independent in a brief telephone interview she was working on complying with the conditions of the order but is struggling financially. She said her landlord was supposed to secure the back door to her home.
“That was supposed to be fixed, but it has not been,” Quintal said. “It’s not my home. I can’t get a fence.”
The issue came to the Select board for a final decision at the request of the town’s labor and employment counsel, Stacey Verde.
Massachusetts law allows Select Boards to hold dangerous dog hearings, Verde said. In 1989, the Plymouth Select Board delegated some authority to a hearing officer but retained authority to act based on the recommendation of a hearing.
Verde said state law does not allow a dog deemed dangerous to be removed from town or placed with another family. For a state to be designated “no kill,” at least 90% of animals in shelters must be adopted each year. Sixteen other states have signed resolutions committing to the goal. Advocates in Massachusetts say the Commonwealth is very close to receiving the designation.
In a brief interview on Wednesday, Rosemary Quintal told the Independent she is a cousin of Select Board member Dick Quintal, and had been represented by Canty in a previous case.
Quintal said she could not attend the April 29 hearing because she was sick.
“There is a long history with this dog,” Verde told Select Board members before listing it:
On May 12, 2025, it attacked another dog and broke its leash, according to Verde.
“I have no idea what that is,” Quintal told the Independent.
On June 23, 2025, Thunder bit a police officer, according to Verde.
When asked about that incident, Quintal ended the interview, saying she had to work.
On June 25, 2025, Thunder bit another person and Plymouth Animal Control verified the dog was not licensed nor vaccinated, according to Verde. The dog was quarantined.
On July 26, 2025, it was reported the dog had bitten another person four days earlier.
On March 21, 2026, a report came in of another dog bite.
On March 26, the dog again was quarantined.
April 2, 2026, a police officer reported stopping Quintal in front of her home on Sandwich Street after running her plates and finding no inspection sticker on her vehicle.
A 100-pound pitbull came out barking and according to the police report, Quintal told the officer: “He’s going to bite you.” According to the officer, Quintal took hold of the dog’s harness and yelled: “Do not come near me. Get back in your car.” Quintal was arrested.
As a result, there is a criminal case pending against Quintal for using the dog as dangerous weapon, Verde said.
On June 3, the dog enforcement officer’s decision was handed to Quintal, Verde said. She had 10 days to appeal but did not.
The dog remained unlicensed and unvaccinated, Verde said.
On July 15, the dog bit a neighbor on his own property.
On July 16, the dog again “attempted to attack” that same neighbor, Verde said. After that, the town “tried to work with Ms. Quintal” to get the dog quarantined, but Quintal “refused to cooperate,” Verde said.
The town went to court on July 20 and obtained a warrant to take custody of the dog.
On July 22, Plymouth Animal Control, Plymouth Police, and New Bedford Animal Control took custody of the dog. It remains in custody of Plymouth Animal Control. The dog has continued to be aggressive, lunging at workers, growling, and barking, Verde said.
Verde asked the Select Board to confirm the June 3 decision to euthanize the dog. She said if the board did not approve the euthanasia, the dog would be returned to Quintal.
“The alternative to this is very risky,” Verde said.
“If we have an unvaccinated dog going around, that just compounds the problem,” Iaquinto said.
Keohan said he was “uncomfortable” making a decision without being able to participate in a hearing.
He told the Independent since the town had the dog in custody for only a few days, he did not understand why it could not have another 30 days to see how it behaved.
“I just felt like this process was being rushed,” Keohan said.
He asked whether anyone was there to represent the dog.
“The hearing has already taken place, so I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to open the floor to start advocating or not advocating for the disposition of this animal,” Golden said.
“The dog has attacked other people. What more evidence do you need?” he asked, looking at Keohan.
When the owner, who was in the audience, tried to address the board, Iaquinto said the board would not take public comment, which is the general rule when staff is making a recommendation to the board.
“She had her opportunity to speak at her hearing, and this was not a public hearing,” Iaquinto said. “This was just a decision to approve and vote in favor of the recommendation that the dog officer had made.”
Keohan told the Independent an exception should have been made for Quintal to address the board.
“It’s not uncommon for the board to suspend its past practice in letting people speak at different times,” Keohan said. “We should be flexible, especially when it comes to a subject matter on the agenda, and if someone does rise up, especially the owner of the dog.”
Quintal told the Independent that she was “very upset” she was not allowed to speak in her dog’s defense.
Golden moved to euthanize the dog. Iaquinto seconded, and she and Golden voted to euthanize the dog, with Keohan dissenting.
“The owner was given every opportunity to correct the decision and didn’t,” Iaquinto told the Independent. “So, unfortunately, we had to make that decision. I was sick to my stomach making it.”
Neither Canty nor Dick Quintal immediately responded to requests for comment, nor did Verde or the town’s Animal Control Office.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org