Escaped animal fine proposed to be raised

After two incidents involving escaped cows from a local farm this year, the town of Dartmouth is proposing an article at Fall Town Meeting to raise the escaped animals fine. 

Currently, each time an animal escapes the owner is charged $50. The article would raise this to $300 per animal after an initial warning.

This bylaw applies to “domestic livestock, fowl and beast of burden,”

The first incident was when a cow from Robinson Farm escaped and was causing traffic on 195. No humans were harmed, but the State Patrol had to get involved to kill the animal. 

“So it’s not just for human protection,” said Town Administrator Cody Haddad, “We’re also concerned about the animals.”

The second was when cows from the same farm escaped, and totaled a police cruiser. The officer was fine.

Due to the latest incident, Town Meeting members will also be voting on buying a new police cruiser to replace the one destroyed by the cows. 

While these are not the only times cows from this farm have escaped, these two instances are what spurred the fine increase. 

“The Town is most concerned about safety and compliance,” said Jessica Datous, the Communication Manager for the town.