Former CT state rep's dog Dexter that killed woman to be euthanized after court rejects appeal

SUFFIELD — A dog that fatally mauled an older woman in 2019 once again is set to be euthanized after a three-judge panel rejected an appeal from the pet’s owners that sought to keep the quarantined animal alive. 

The state Appellate Court dismissed the appeal from owners Neil and Annie Hornish, a former state representative in the 62nd House District from 2009-11, after determining a local animal control officer had the authority to issue an order to euthanize their dog, Dexter, in the wake of the attack. 

An attempt to reach the Hornishes' attorney was not immediately returned.

The ruling is the latest development in a long-running legal saga that began on Nov. 6, 2019, when Enfield resident Janet D'Aleo, 95, was attacked by Dexter during a visit to the Hornish family's home. 

According to police, D'Aleo was transported to a hospital but died as a result of the injuries inflicted by the pit bull/pointer mix. The state medical examiner later ruled her death was caused by dog bites.

Dexter was impounded after the attack and Suffield's animal control officer signed a disposal order in the following days. The Hornishes appealed the decision with the state Department of Agriculture, arguing they believed Dexter was provoked by D'Aleo's health care aide striking the dog with a stool. 

But the state Department of Agriculture upheld the decision in December 2020, declaring that Dexter remained a risk to public safety. That same month, D'Aleo's family reached a $2 million settlement in a lawsuit filed against the Hornishes.

The Hornishes then appealed that decision to the Superior Court in February 2021, claiming the case was not handled fairly and that the animal control officer's original disposal order did not conform to a state statute that makes exceptions for dogs that were provoked. 

The judge in that case dismissed the appeal and upheld the Department of Agriculture's decision in an order issued in November 2023. The Hornishes filed a new appeal about a month later and oral arguments were held in the case April 14. 

In the latest appeal, the Hornishes argued the state law that governs the euthanasia of dangerous dogs violates the separation of powers provisions of the Connecticut constitution and claimed that procedural irregularities deprived them of a fair hearing. 

The appellate judges, however, rejected those arguments. Instead, they determined the legislature has delegated the enforcement of dog bite statutes to municipalities and dismissed the procedural claims as unconvincing. 

The ruling comes about two months after a state Superior Court judge ordered the Hornishes to pay more than $76,000 to Suffield for outstanding boarding fees, a decision the family has vowed to appeal. Since 2022, the town has covered the cost of boarding Dexter at River Valley Animal Center. 

This story includes previous reporting from Matthew P. Knox and Joseph Villanova.