Washington Dog Pack Kills 100 Animals, Terrorizes Town

http://www.huffingtonpost.c...%7Csec3_lnk3%7C69941

SPOKANE, Wash. — A "bloodthirsty" pack of dogs has killed about 100 animals in the past few months while eluding law enforcement and volunteers in northeastern Washington state, residents and authorities said.

The killings started in late March and have occurred in a wide area of mountains and valleys west of Deer Park, a small town about 40 miles north of Spokane.

"Trying to figure out where they are going to hit is next to impossible," Stevens County Undersheriff Lavonne Webb said Thursday. "Nobody is claiming ownership of any animals involved in the pack."

Most recently, the dogs killed a 350-pound llama Tuesday night. They've also killed goats and other farm animals.

So far, no humans have been attacked. But authorities are warning residents to take whatever steps are necessary to protect their families and animals because the dogs appear to be killing for fun rather than food.

"We have this pack that is out there killing for the sake of killing," Webb said in a telephone interview from Colville. "What is going to happen if they come across a small child?"

Officers and volunteers have searched for the pack but had little success because the dogs seem to hunker down during the day and move only at night, she said. "We've only had one or two sightings during daytime hours."

One resident managed to take some photographs of the pack, and it seemed to include four or five large dogs. It's not clear if the dogs are wild or if some or all go home to owners during the day, Webb said. Their breeds also are unknown.

Webb added she has worked for the sheriff's office since the 1970s and never encountered a similar problem. The number of kills alone makes the attacks a "major issue," she said.

Deer Park resident Temma Davis agreed, telling KXLY-TV that neighbors are worried about kids getting off school buses or riding their bikes.

"They're bloodthirsty," she said of the dogs.

Davis compared the experience to the 1980s Stephen King book and movie about a vicious killer dog. "It's like `Cujo,'" she said.
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I've seen this before. Not quite as many dogs in the pack but, I've seen the results and it isn't pretty. In our case, it was the local towns dogs running at night. Many of them belonged to one household but, they came from at least 30 different homes. All domesticated common dogs that were all family pets. Once we finally caught up with them, we killed over a hundred dogs that day. The County Sheriff was watching while we did the deed. He told the pet owners, they could allow us to kill their pets or go to jail and most likely end up paying for our losses also. We didn't get all of them but, we got enough to stop their killing spree. Wasn't fun but, they were killing cattle, sheep and at least one horse. Saw a lot of crying folks that day. They were lucky in my opinion, they only lost their dog (s). Much of the livestock killed was simply running it to death, nipping at their hind quarters till they dropped and then mauling the beast. Not one animal chased down by this pack was eaten, only mauled. I don't blame the dogs, I blame the dog's owners.

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Ron

quote Originally posted by blackrams: So far, no humans have been attacked. But authorities are warning residents to take whatever steps are necessary to protect their families and animals because the dogs appear to be killing for fun rather than food.

Well, DUH! I've never seen anything like this, but doesn't seem hard to figure out what needs to be done.

A bullet only costs a quarter.

Steve

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.

Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Well, DUH! I've never seen anything like this, but doesn't seem hard to figure out what needs to be done.

Oh no. The liberals would probably spend millions on treatment and therapy of the dogs. Bring in Cesar Millan for individual sessions. Bring in Victoria Stillwell and she can train each dog to be gentle and perfect. I could take care of the problem for about $20 worth of .308 ammo.

I hate killing animals, but sometimes it has to be done to protect others.

I think you are on to what is happening, Ron. I'll bet the dogs are going back to their owners during the day.

None of this would happen if people had proper restraints for their dogs. A lot of people have the idea that their dogs should run free. While some dogs are perfectly safe running free like a Golden Retriever, most are not.

I hope they put an end to this pack soon. It will be too bad for the owners but if they really cared about their dogs, they wouldn't let them run wild.

.

quote Originally posted by Doug85GT: None of this would happen if people had a sense of responsibility.

Fixed that for ya, Doug.

I dont think the dogs are going back to their owners during the day. Dogs dont have the comprehension and mental capacity to think that far into things, and think "hey Im going to go out with my buddies and kill right now, then later go home and hang out with dad". All they have is instincts. Eat, sleep, poop, hump, bark, basically. My girlfriend had to learn dog psychology when she got her job at the humane society and I learned a lot from her on how to handle stray dogs etc. Dogs arent even smart enough to recognize themselves in the mirror. These are feral dogs that have gone back to primal instincts, and feral dogs dont go home and play nice with the family. Their instincts are primal as they dont have the mental sophistication to know when to play nice.

quote Originally posted by fieroX: I dont think the dogs are going back to their owners during the day. Dogs dont have the comprehension and mental capacity to think that far into things, and think "hey Im going to go out with my buddies and kill right now, then later go home and hang out with dad". All they have is instincts. Eat, sleep, poop, hump, bark, basically. My girlfriend had to learn dog psychology when she got her job at the humane society and I learned a lot from her on how to handle stray dogs etc. Dogs arent even smart enough to recognize themselves in the mirror. These are feral dogs that have gone back to primal instincts, and feral dogs dont go home and play nice with the family. Their instincts are primal as they dont have the mental sophistication to know when to play nice.

we had a problem one summer where kids would take their dogs to the bus stop and get on the bus leaving the dogs to go home. instead they 'packed' until school was over then went to pick up 'their kid' at the bus stop.

Dogs do have some comprehension i think. Perhaps not a lot, but some.

[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 06-11-2011).]

quote Originally posted by fieroX: I dont think the dogs are going back to their owners during the day. Dogs dont have the comprehension and mental capacity to think that far into things, and think "hey Im going to go out with my buddies and kill right now, then later go home and hang out with dad". All they have is instincts. Eat, sleep, poop, hump, bark, basically. My girlfriend had to learn dog psychology when she got her job at the humane society and I learned a lot from her on how to handle stray dogs etc. Dogs arent even smart enough to recognize themselves in the mirror. These are feral dogs that have gone back to primal instincts, and feral dogs dont go home and play nice with the family. Their instincts are primal as they dont have the mental sophistication to know when to play nice.

Dogs are natural pack animals. They will gather into a pack, a leader will eventually win out and they will follow the leader's lead. The dogs I referred to were almost all family pets. They would go out at night and play. That play included running cattle until they would drop. We caught them several times by staying late into the night and tried to follow them home. Eventually, we were successful. I know these dogs were family pets because we were able to identify every dog we killed to the satisfaction of several folks involved and the sheriff. One lady had over twenty dogs. We killed everyone of them. Was not pretty or nor fun but, they were taking 650 to 800 lb. steers down and mauling them to death. It had to be done and I did it along with several other ranchers from the area. I don't feel guilty and I blame the owners of the pets for not taking responsible care of their animals

I have my own dogs, I really do like dogs but, I would have killed them had they been part of that pack.

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Ron

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 06-11-2011).]

I once heard a story of a Chihuahua puppy mill in California that turned them loose in the wild while they were going out of business. There was a feral pack of Chihuahuas terrorizing everybody. LOL!

quote Originally posted by Wichita: I once heard a story of a Chihuahua puppy mill in California that turned them loose in the wild while they were going out of business. There was a feral pack of Chihuahuas terrorizing everybody. LOL!

I can see that happening in California.

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Ron

I've seen domestic dogs pack just like this... they killed my cat right outside my bedroom window... by the time I got to the door and got my other cat inside from crouching underneath the car, the pack was moving on into town..

Two of the dogs had my now dead cat by the tail and head and were playing tug of war with it... sigh.. my husband said I should have never went outside without some sort of protection... I was just so upset.. and to carry his dead body which felt like every bone in it was broken up to the porch was unbearable... I still to this day wished I could have killed those dogs... even knowing they were someone's pets... and I love animals!

They had been killing adult raccoons and other animals as well, not an easy feat... and we live across the street from a grade school!! After contacting the county sheriff I was told I was within my legal rights to kill any animal threatening or attacking anything on my property.

After notifying the authorities, the problem stopped... I'm assuming they went hunting the dogs and eliminated some of them.

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quote Originally posted by Wichita: I once heard a story of a Chihuahua puppy mill in California that turned them loose in the wild while they were going out of business. There was a feral pack of Chihuahuas terrorizing everybody. LOL!

Nobody's ankles were safe.

Livingston County man, 91, woman, 56, killed by dogs
Published: Friday, September 14, 2007, 9:59 AM Updated: Friday, September 14, 2007, 10:02 AM
Chronicle News Service By Chronicle News Service The Muskegon Chronicle

State Police say up to five dogs were believed to have been involved in two attacks that killed an elderly man in his front yard and a woman passerby Thursday afternoon in rural Livingston County's Iosco Township, west of Howell.

The body of the 91-year-old man was found in the driveway of his home about 3 p.m. and the body of the 56-year-old woman was discovered on the shoulder of the gravel road several hundreds yards away. The woman was believed to have been walking along the road when she was attacked.

State Police Sgt. Angela Hunt of the Brighton post this morning said 10 dogs were seized by Livingston County Animal Control from a nearby home, but only four or five of them were believed to have been involved in the attacks.

Hunt said no arrests have been made, but the results of the investigation will be turned over to the county prosecutor's office for review of possible criminal charges.

The house where the dogs were seized had a large sign in front that said in all capital letters: "This property is maintained for the comfort and security of our animals. If you don't like that please go away."

Police would not release the names of the victims, but relatives and neighbors identified them as Edward Gierlach and Cheryl Harper, both of Iosco Township.

Harper's neighbor, Ann Reid, said this morning that Cheri, as she was known, "was full of life, and absolutely loved the outside. She spent morning till night out in her wildflower garden around her home, and went for daily walks up and down the road."

She said Harper, a retired school bus driver from the Farmington area, had her 2-year-old grandson with her on her walk the day before she died. Reid said Harper often carried treats with her for the neighborhood dogs and for the horses that belonged to Diane Cockrell, the owner of the dogs involved in the attack.

Cockrell could not be reached for comment this morning.

Reid said she never thought much before about the sign on the fence across Cockrell's driveway. Now, she said, the sign has taken on a more menacing tone.

Mary Timmons, 41, an Iosco Township resident, was getting gas this morning at a Mobil station near where the attack occurred.

"You see dogs all the time running around here," she said. "I'll pay more attention to them now, especially if there's a few of them running together."

Bill Long, 63, another Iosco Township resident, also was at the gas station. "It's an awful way to die," he said. "Too many people just let their dogs run around. I'm surprised it hasn't happened before."

Yep, domesticated dogs (pets), left to their own devices for a few hrs will pack up just by instinct, especially if there are females in the pack. My own 2 dogs will try to do it, if a pack of coyotes comes around, and so will most other domesticated dogs--IF, the coyotes allow them to join in the night's festivities. A pack of feral dogs brings the same temptation, and it takes a very well trained and loyal dog to be able to fight that centuries old instinct. The mixed pack will run amok at night, and the domesticated animals almost always return to their homes during the day, because of their percieved need for human companionship and daily feeding kicks in. Anyone who thinks their own dog is immune from this behavior is kidding themselves. A few years of human companionship and familiarity don't begin to cancel out centuries of natural instinct.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 06-12-2011).]