Sheriff advises dogs be put down

The dogs were captured and taken to the animal shelter, and the owner paid a fee to get them released.

Magill said in a letter to the county’s legal counsel, Kristen Campbell, that, based on the deputy’s report of the incident, “I believe the aforementioned dogs are a direct threat to public safety, for the following reasons. Each animal showed aggressive behavior towards several citizens, they were aggressive towards other animals (killing one) and were roaming at large potentially threatening other persons and property. Also of note is the owner previously reported these two dogs missing in August 2016, giving the indications the dogs cannot be contained.”

Magill wrote that he does “not take this situation lightly, as the destruction of a person’s pets is vitally important to me, however, in this case I will not accept aggressive animal behavior towards our citizens in Wasco County.”

The animal owner, Dallas Spears, could not be reached for comment.

Magill said he would not recommend relocating the dogs to a rural setting, where they could “harass livestock,” or in another community, “where they could be a danger as well.”

Magill said if the dogs were already relocated, he would “try to ascertain where they were at and verify that if we needed to, based on what county counsel told us.”

Jo Ann Sparks’ 15-year-old Bengal cat, Bobo, was killed by the dogs in the Dec. 1 spree. She plans to seek restitution. “This affects my life, and this should affect the other people’s lives who are responsible ultimately so it doesn’t happen again.”

Bengals are known for their distinctive markings, and Sparks said they are valued up to $2,000. She adopted the cat from a previous owner. Serranobengals.com states Bengals can range from $450 to $2,500.

Sparks felt euthanasia for the dogs “was appropriate, considering that it’s not the first time.” Spears had noted on her Facebook page that her dogs got out in August and bit two people, but those people didn’t want to press charges. She also noted her dogs once brought home a dead chicken and she wanted to avoid a repeat of that.

Sparks said of the two dogs, “I understand they’re somebody’s pets like mine was, that isn’t with me anymore, but you can’t have dogs attacking people and killing indiscriminately, it’s not OK.

Any farmer, if they own dog that did that, would do the same thing.”

The dogs are a pit bull and a shepherd mix, and both were reported to live in the 3400 block of West Eighth Street. The cat lived at the corner of Chenowith Road and Highland Court.

The dogs killed Sparks’ cat, rushed at some chickens behind a fence and ran into the fence so hard they dented it, then bit a man’s pants leg, and also tried to go after dogs behind a fence before running off and treeing a cat.

Sparks said the dogs “were off the hook, they were not acting like domestic animals.”

The other day she saw a dog that looked like one of the dogs in the attack, and surprised herself by how scared she became. “I reacted a lot stronger than I thought I would.”

Sparks was furious that the animals were not kept in quarantine, but state law does not require it. “It’s ridiculous, the dogs should still be impounded until there’s a decision [on whether or not to euthanize them.] They shouldn’t have been” released, Sparks said.