Defense attorney suffers serious lip injury in St. Albans dog attack
Local reporting says Moose seriously injured defense attorney Betsy Hibbitts near the Franklin County courthouse. On September 21, Burlington’s Animal Control Committee formally ordered the dog delivered to a designated kennel and humanely euthanized.
Incident summary
Seven Days reported that defense attorney Betsy Hibbitts was bitten in the face by a dog named Moose on a street near the Franklin County courthouse in St. Albans. Hibbitts said part of her lip was bitten off; later reporting said she received stitches and was referred to a plastic surgeon. St. Albans police later issued the owner a vicious-dog ticket. After an Aug. 31 Burlington Animal Control Committee hearing, the committee issued a final September 21 order requiring Moose to be immediately delivered to a designated kennel and then humanely euthanized. The owner had disputed Hibbitts’ account and challenged the committee’s jurisdiction.
St. Albans police later issued the dog’s owner a $125 vicious-dog ticket, according to Boston Globe reporting. After an Aug. 31 proceeding, the Burlington Animal Control Committee issued a final September 21 order requiring Diane Wheeler or Deborah Lessor to immediately deliver Moose to one of two designated kennels; Burlington animal control would then facilitate humane euthanasia at the Chittenden County Humane Society. Seven Days reported that Wheeler had challenged the committee’s jurisdiction, while the committee found the matter remained a live Burlington public-safety issue. BiteDB records the order as issued but does not state that the euthanasia had already occurred.
Video, reporting and source material
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Primary record used by BiteDB
Seven Days reported April 17 that Moose lunged and bit part of Hibbitts’ lip off near the Franklin County courthouse, requiring plastic-surgery follow-up. Later reporting said she received stitches and that St. Albans police issued a $125 vicious-dog ticket. After an Aug. 31 Burlington Animal Control Committee hearing, Seven Days reported September 21 that the committee formally ordered Moose’s immediate delivery to a designated kennel and humane euthanasia. The order is a final committee action; the reviewed reporting does not establish that euthanasia had already occurred.
Open source ↗Additional sources
- A Vermont prosecutor’s dog keeps biting people. Critics say the woman’s behaving like she’s above the law. — Independent follow-up / Boston Globe via Boston.com · 2026-07-08
- Burlington Recommends Prosecutor’s Dog Be Put Down — Independent local hearing follow-up — Seven Days · 2026-08-31
- Dog attack testimony under review after neighbors say owner ignores orders — Independent local TV hearing follow-up — WPTZ · 2026-08-31
- Burlington Orders Euthanasia for Former Prosecutor’s Problem Dog — Independent local reporting — Seven Days; final Burlington Animal Control Committee order · 2026-09-21
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.