Attorney: Dog Drowning In Merrimack Was Accident

MERRIMACK, NH — The attorney for Merrimack resident Nancy Bucciarelli, who is charged with drowning her dog at Wasserman Park this month, has said the incident was an accident. Bucciarelli, 66, has been charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty stating she pushed her golden retriever into the lake on June 8 and did nothing while the dog struggled to swim. Her attorney, Roger Chadwick of Nashua, spoke out against accusations and threats made by the public in response to her charge.

In a letter released to the media Friday, Chadwick stated that since her arrest June 14, she has received dog feces in the mail, threats of assault against her and statements from someone saying they hope members of her family drown.

"Accidents happen and that it what it was, an accident," said Chadwick. "It is easy to climb on a bandwagon of hatred to feel better about your life but enough is enough."

Chadwick stated that the 11-year-old golden retriever, named Bailey, had received its rabies shot just three days before the incident. He said Bailey liked to swim under the water and hunt for stones. Bucciarelli had also sent text messages to her daughter asking her to run home and put on Bailey's stress vest when thunderstorms approached. Bailey had also been featured in Christmas cards, and there are hundreds of photos of the dog being part of the family's daily life, said Chadwick.

"If a person were to want to drown a dog or another animal or even a person, would you do it at a Public Park in broad daylight?" Chadwick stated. "Would you have been grooming that dog twice a month right up to the day this happened?"

According to Merrimack police, witnesses to the drowning jumped into the lake to save the dog after seeing it struggle to swim, but it was too late. The witnesses stated Bucciarelli was on the phone and did not attempt to help, police say.

In his letter, Chadwick noted presumption of innocence unless guilt is proven in court.

"It's time to stop the hatred," he said.

Merrimack police have also previously made statements asking for the public to use restraint in their posts on social media and let the justice system do its work.