One dog is dead after being attacked by four other animals in Amherst on Monday afternoon.
Police say the first officer at the scene used pepper spray on two bull mastiff dogs, but all four continued to respond aggressively by attacking a smaller dog in its yard on Park Street.
The dogs were eventually corralled into a makeshift fenced yard, where police say it took hours for them to calm down.
The smaller dog died at the scene.
“Any time you're dealing with an animal, especially if the animal is aggressive, you know you have to make a split decision on what kind of use of force you're going to use,” said Amherst Police Chief Dwayne Pike. “At that time, pepper spray was utilized and proved effective for that circumstance.”
The four large dogs, all owned by the same person, have been seized and a decision on their fate is expected by the end of the week.
