Colleagues stunned by death of animal control officer
By Rick Holland/ Daily News Staff
Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - Updated: 01:19 AM EST
BELLINGHAM -- Filling in to handle a shift so a co-worker could attend a birthday party Sunday was one of the final and fittingly unselfish acts of Peter Thomashay, an animal control officer for Bellingham and Franklin.
Thomashay passed away Sunday night. He was 66.
"He was just one of these guys who would do anything for you, no questions asked," said Janet DuBois, who has served for nearly 30 years as animal control officer in Blackstone. "I was just shattered when I heard he had died. I’m going to miss him terribly."
Cindy Souza, who worked alongside Thomashay as Bellingham and Franklin’s only other full-time animal control officer since 2000, said his compassion and dedication were remarkable.
"Animal control was his whole life," said Souza. "He was there (at work) at 5 a.m. and he was there if anyone needed help at any time."
A Franklin resident and former auxiliary police officer there and in Norwood, Thomashay died in his sleep Sunday, according to Souza.
"The last time I spoke with him was on Sunday at 4 p.m.," said Souza. "He was covering for one of our part-time officers who had to go to a birthday party."
Thomashay, a gregarious bear of a man, had a deep voice that Souza said could sound intimidating over the phone. "But he was always able to calm people down if they were upset about a situation," she said.
He was also chivalrous and "old fashioned," according to Brenda Hamelin, the animal control officer for Medway and Millis. She said Thomashay would worry openly if a female colleague was attempting to do something he regarded as too physically demanding.
"He would always tell me, ’You shouldn’t be doing that,’" Hamelin recalled. "He did it out of concern."
Animal control officers agreed they have a high-stress job, which demands they demonstrate kindness and compassion, but also be enforcers of leash laws and other animal-related regulations in a community. In Thomashay, his colleagues saw a combination of skills that helped him excel in his work.
"It was his ability to use all of those different feelings and emotions, know when to be assertive, or kind, or compassionate, that’s very hard to do," said DuBois. "That’s what made him unique. And he was great with the animals. He could get dogs to come to him."
The only exception, was horses, according to Hamelin.
"He was deathly afraid of horses," she said, recalling her arrival first -- just before Thomashay, who was visibly relieved -- on a few calls to rein in horses that had escaped from their pens.
Thomashay enjoyed telling stories as well, and had a good sense of humor, according to Souza. "We had a ton of laughs. You can’t get through this job without doing that," Souza said.
During one call she went on with Thomashay in Franklin, Souza recalled having to wait for hours until police could clear a house and allow the pair to get in to capture some dogs.
"Pete was a little hard of hearing, and it was dark and cold outside," Souza said. "As he was going around to the back of the house, I kept saying, ’Watch out for the pool, watch out for the pool,’ but I don’t think he heard me."
Thomashay ended up stepping through a pool tarp and into the icy water.
"I was laughing so hard, but Pete didn’t get mad, he just said ’Look at my shoe,’ as he was pouring water from it," said Souza.
Beyond his colleagues, other Bellingham town officials weighed in on the job Thomashay did and the way he lived his life.
"He was everybody’s friend and the first guy to help out in any situation," said Bellingham Town Administrator Denis Fraine.
"He was a great guy, just a really nice person," said Bellingham Police Chief Gerard Daigle. "You couldn’t ask for a better guy to do that job."
In an interview with the Daily News just two weeks ago, Thomashay said despite his age, he loved his work and had no plans to retire.
"That was true, and we had no plans to make him retire either," said Souza.
Thomashay’s passing leaves an already depleted animal control staff in Bellingham and Franklin even further shorthanded. Until Souza returns from an on-the-job injury she sustained late last year, Hamelin will handle all emergency related animal control calls in the two towns, with backup help from her colleagues in other communities as well as part-time officers.
"People in Bellingham or Franklin should not hesitate to call their animal control number to get any questions answered or if they have an emergency situation," said Hamelin. "We’ll respond, it might take us a few extra minutes, but we’ll get there."
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops