Emotions ran high at a special Brownstown Town Council meeting Tuesday, where a decision was made to euthanize a dog responsible for multiple attacks, including one fatal incident involving a local councilwoman’s pet.
The hearing revolved around a three-year-old, 100-pound pit bull named Memphis, owned by Shannon Root. Memphis had been involved in four separate attacks on other animals, prompting concerns about public safety. The most severe incident occurred on August 6, when Memphis fatally attacked a Morkie named Annabelle in the backyard of Anne and Weldon Carlin. Anne Carlin, who is also a member of the town council, had to recuse herself from the hearing.
Root, who was not present during the attack, explained that her roommate Gregory Scott had been caring for the dog and her grandsons at the time. Scott attempted to intervene but was unable to stop Memphis from killing the smaller dog.
“We have a daycare across the street, a middle school, and a high school nearby,” said Anne Carlin during the hearing. “Losing my dog is heartbreaking, but it could have been much worse.”
Police Chief Tom Hanner detailed the timeline of attacks, beginning with the fatal incident involving Annabelle. Despite Scott’s suggestion that Memphis should be euthanized, Root rejected this, stating that the dog was solely her responsibility.
The council also heard about previous incidents, including one on July 25, when Memphis was reported running aggressively near Larry Curry’s home, where the dog attacked a German shepherd. Another incident on August 2 saw Memphis attacking two dogs belonging to Jamie Temple, a golden retriever and a golden doodle. Temple described the terrifying ordeal of trying to free her pets from Memphis’s grip.
Despite Root’s claims that the family’s broken fence was to blame for Memphis’s roaming, the council questioned whether the fence had been the only thing preventing more attacks. Root also mentioned that her 10-year-old grandson, who had been tasked with caring for Memphis, had been letting the dog roam freely after refusing to do his chores.
Root argued that Memphis had never harmed a person, emphasizing that the pit bull had been brought into the household for her nonverbal, autistic grandson, with whom the dog had formed a close bond. According to her, Memphis’s aggression was limited to other animals, not people.
Council members were skeptical of Root’s proposal to relocate Memphis to a family property in Franklin, where the dog would have access to open land without neighbors or nearby pets. Ultimately, the council rejected this option, citing concerns about transferring the problem elsewhere and the lack of enforcement beyond Brownstown’s jurisdiction.
“I don’t want to push our problem onto someone else,” said Councilman Tim Robinson. Council President Gregg Goshorn echoed this sentiment, noting that the repeated nature of Memphis’s attacks left them with little choice.
In the end, the council unanimously voted to label Memphis as a vicious animal, resulting in the decision to euthanize him. Root was granted a brief visitation period to say her goodbyes to the dog she had raised since it was six weeks old.
The case highlighted the community’s concerns about safety, particularly in a town with schools and daycares in close proximity to the incidents. The meeting ended with a clear message from the council: protecting the town’s residents and pets took precedence over giving Memphis another chance.
