Owner Fined After Dogs Kill Deer Along MA River

DEERFIELD, MA — Massachusetts environmental police have fined a dog owner whose canine chased and killed a deer this week.

According to police, a person fishing on Monday in the Deerfield River watched two dogs chase down and kill a deer. The person recorded the attack, police said.

On Tuesday, police made contact with a dog owner from the area where the attack occurred who admitted that they were walking their three dogs with two off leash. Police ticketed the dog owner for the off-leash violation.

"Spring is an important time of year for many wild animals to have and raise young. Wildlife encounters with domestic animals have the potential to separate young animals from mothers or result in attacks that often prove fatal," environmental police said in a social media post.

Police did not say if the attack happened on public or private land. But the state Department of Conservation and Recreation requires all dogs to be on a tether that's no longer than 10 feet long, except in designated off-leash areas.