WASCO CO. — Dogs. Dogs at large, dogs gone missing, dogs barking, dogs whimpering, dogs stuck in too-hot cars, dogs chasing and biting humans and deer and other dogs, dogs abandoned by, or with, people who didn’t want them, a dog who put his head under the garden fence and got stuck — only to extricate himself before anybody could respond.
Police media logs in 2024 highlight the vast variety of mischief located by creatures of every species. Some dogs, particularly, occupied police resources for days; cats mostly got off scot-free, because even an officer with a projectile net gun and the law on his side can’t do much about a trespassing, kitten-dropping, bird-eating, dog-smacking cat.
Dog bite cases can get serious. In Wasco County, for example, a reporting party stated a big brown hound dog bit their horses. Dogs caught in the act of attacking livestock can legally be shot.
Sometimes there’s a cougar call, but usually the phantom can’t be found. In The Dalles, officers searched for a puma-like shadow caught on camera near Pomona on Oct. 7, and found nothing but “lots of deer.” And a Jan. 29 caller reported “very large claw marks” appearing in a Seventh Street yard. They requested the Animal Control Officer come ensure no dangerous, three-clawed animals were out there at night.
With spring came babies, often called in for being pitiful-looking and helpless.
On April 30, an officer spotted a small baby bunny running in and out of traffic near East 10th and G Street April 30. Animal control responded and caught the bunny, a wild cottontail, who was given a temporary nickname by officers, taken to a safe place, and released.
A mother deer got stuck on one side a Walnut / 10th Street fence with her two fawns on the other, July 10. And on June 24, a caller stated two baby fawns were stuck inside a gate on Tenth Street, frantically attempting to escape — which they managed on their own, the caller later reported.
In The Dalles, a 10-week-old kitten was found in parking lot on 19th Street Sept. 6, struggling with heat exhaustion and injury. But there’s just not much an officer can do about domestic cats on the saunter, except inform the property owner of his trapping rights (or lack thereof).
With summer comes a weekly handful of complaints about citizens leaving dogs stuck in their cars. One reporting party stated someone was selling panting puppies in 90-degree heat between Goodwill and Fred Meyer. On July 27, a box of Chihuahua puppies were abandoned on Seventh.
Then the barn animals got frisky, and summer became really interesting.
An average week in late May: Dog welfare checks, dogs at large, barking dogs, lost dogs, dying raccoon, deceased cat.
One goat left home alone, got tangled in a ladder, unable to drink or get free; an owner was contacted to free it. A The Dalles caller with a bat on their outside wall was referred to ODFW on Aug. 2. A cow appeared outside the fence next to a church, near Oregon Veteran’s Home, on July 23. A teenage chicken was returned to its 10th Street owner on April 30. And the owner of three goats, spotted sauntering down the street near Hostetler and W. Seventh on June 2, had to collect them.
In another incident, the animal control officer and Oregon Humane Society (OHS) went to a scheduled event on Winslow Road, capturing a group of dogs. Seventeen of the total 19 dogs were caught and taken to OHS.
A stray cat ran into a Seventh Street house on June 19, and the resident noticed it had a string tied around its testicles. A citizen took it to the vet, who later requested follow-up with police.
Abused cats can be reported and get justice. Presumably, abusive humans are easier to catch than cats. One day in May, a cat escaped from its residence, and was shot with an arrow. The vet had the arrow. Sadly, the police had no suspect information.
A small Yorkie briefly escaped from a grooming salon and made off down Second Street, before being recaptured on June 19.
A person found a raccoon, barely alive, and called in. The animal was located, deceased, by the roadway and public works handled the carcass. And a deputy dispatched and removed a raccoon that was struck by a car and laying in the road Feb. 20.
In the heat of summer, a three-foot rattlesnake was found in front of the dumpster area for the Rivermark bank. The snake was killed with a shovel, bagged, and disposed of in the garbage.
Birds seem to be the rarest difficulty. In early January, a caller on Threemile called in a loud thump, but came to believe it was a large owl hitting a window, due to marks on the glass. A patrol trooper recovered a road-struck juvenile Bald Eagle. The eagle was turned in to Fish and Wildlife troopers Jan. 15.
But mostly, officers snagged and sorted lots and lots of dogs. Some had happy endings. In The Dalles, an officer responded to a dog whose concerned owner had been admitted to the hospital days prior. A neighbor was able to help the officer locate some dog food, and said they would keep an eye on out for the pet. And a stolen dog was found by an officer at Home At Last and reunited with its owner.
Just don’t ask TDPD to solve your wandering kitten problem.
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