THE DALLES — No animal can complicate a rural police officers’ day like the humble dog, county and city police logs from 2023 attest.
As the weekly tally of dogs at large, dogs going missing, and dogs with alleged barking habits rises, other animals join the show, especially in rural Wasco: Bulls, cows, chickens, goats, roosters noisily greeting the dawn in violation of city ordinance, and an adventurous young rabbit hopping down F Street for reasons unspecified.
Some tales are tragic — as various reporting parties can attest, after requesting police action for abandoned, deceased, loose or criminally pitiful-looking kittens, puppies and baby rabbit.
Some are more serious, as when a dog bites a child, or escaped stock causes property damage or becomes a traffic hazard. Some end with pets dying in vehicle collisions. Some, in citations for ongoing animal control issues, like aggressive dogs or routinely wandering stock. Some lead to poaching cases. Some lead nowhere — nobody arrests an eluding rabbit.
Whether checking out an injured fawn, investigating a dog or freeing the antlers of two bucks who got roped together during a fight, officers and deputies chased down many leads in 2023 — not to mention tails, fins, and chickens.
The occasional foot pursuit is logged, as errant dogs-at-large elude “on all four legs,” as one The Dalles officer reported in a log.
Sometimes animals are entertainment, as an officer on a very long and remote extra patrol in south Wasco tallied up the wild horses, antelope, and elk they saw, in lieu of anything suspicious. And sometimes, helpful; in one incident, a service dog emerging from a house alerted the initiator of a welfare check to their neighbor’s emergency.
Naturally, the police cannot impound, feed, re-home, litigate, or urgently recapture every at-large dog, pig, pony, chicken(s), kitten, horse, goat, and bull, or peskily zipping rabbit. A great many animal calls end as simple “logs for info.”
And when a bunny carousing — or a parcel of ominously staring cats encircling the front porch — necessitates a call to the police, that’s usually the most a communications officer can do.
So, corral the chickens, repair the fences, get yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy some highlights of 2023.
And keep an eye on your security cameras. You never know when a rabbit might engage in suspicious activities on your property — though it’s best to call law enforcement on a non-emergency line.
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Wasco County — A loose cow was called in on Chenowith Creek, Oct. 25. “There is someone trying to get the cow but it isn’t their element,” logs stated. “The cow is running south.”
No further calls were logged regarding this bovine Houdini.
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The Dalles — A person allegedly stole a cat from Seventh Street and attempted to ransom it back for $500. This was posted on social media; the reporting party took screenshots and reported it on Dec. 12, and a case number was taken for animal control.
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The Dalles — A caller on 15th Place reported their absent neighbor’s boat engaging in a suspicious, silent rocking motion a little after midnight on Oct. 8. The caller suspected a thief with a hacksaw trying to cut the boat’s chain. Officers responded and discovered two buck deer fighting, with a rope tangled around their antlers. The officers cut the rope, freeing the two antagonists, who ran away — after recovering from their exhaustion.
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Wasco County — A caller anonymously reported a deer hit by a vehicle that needed to be dispatched on Highway 197 on Dec. 9. A deputy responded and located the deer, but “upon walking up to the deer it took off running on all four legs,” they noted in logs. “Lost visual after that.”
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Wasco County — Two black pigs and a puppy were at large on Sandlin Road, Nov. 23.
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Wasco County — Two calls reported a dog allegedly killing its owner’s neighbors’ chickens Nov. 22. An ongoing issue was stated. An officer was shown a hurt chicken and a deceased chicken. The dog’s owner received a citation.
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Wasco County — Two deceased cattle with no ear tags were found near Road 4830 in the last week of October. Heads, hide and hooves were all that remained. No shell casings were found.
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The Dalles — A kitten got run over in a drive-through on W. Sixth Nov 1. Still alive when the reporting party called, the kitten was dead on arrival. Animal control took care of it.
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The Dalles — Chickens at large, wandering into the street near 10th and Trevitt streets, were reported on Oct. 21. The chickens were returned to 10th Street.
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The Dalles — Four steers, of initially unknown provenance, were at large on McDonald Way Oct. 21. Later that day, four steers were corralled on Chenowith and picked up by their owner. The logs didn’t specify whether these were the same four animals.
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Wasco County — Two very friendly, white, hairy pigs were wandering out in front of a Wamic store. A deputy noted, “Orville and Wilbur have been captured and returned to their owners.”
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Wasco County — A suspicious cooler of decomposing fish was located near Eagle Caves Sept. 23.
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The Dalles — A wild turkey entered a parking lot on Sixth Street Aug. 27. The reporting party feared for its safety, but when Officer 413 arrived on scene, it had left the area.
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Wasco County — Four teenagers were reported shooting a netted raccoon with a BB gun off Irvine Street Aug. 28. The teenagers walked off, with the raccoon alive. The reporting party, concerned for the raccoon, was transferred to OSP Fish & Game, who advised they don’t handle raccoon calls, according to logs.
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Wasco County — A fawn with a lower back injury appeared in a yard on Sunflower and Starlight streets in August. A deputy responded and observed scratches, but no broken bones.
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Wasco County — A pink-and-brown pig, by name of Bacon, was reported missing for two days on Sept. 8.
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The Dalles — Officers were unable to locate a large possum which was “hit by a car and suffering” Sept. 23.
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The Dalles — A 911 caller reported a baby rabbit, hopping down F Street.
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