Washington Dog Pack Kills 100 Animals, Terrorizes Town
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 Under sheriff 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.
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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When I came across this article I was baffled by this authors' word choice selection in describing the intent and behaviors of these dogs.
It is fascinating that a news reporter can be so careless in his/her writing, and non-factual.
1. I have not found a photo of what these dogs look like, but my immediate reaction to this would be that they are wolves, or hybrids.
2. I don't believe the behaviors were an act of "fun" or "malicious behaviors." Predatory animals hunt for survival, and pack animals hunting in packs. Pups role play when they are younger and much of their play is practice for working as a team and survival later on in life.
3. The article implies that the animals must have congregated at some point to plan out this "bloodthirsty" act.
4. Wolves and dogs are not one of the animals that "kill for fun." Hunting requires a lot of energy, and these animals don't expend energy unnecessarily. Killing is related for fending for themselves, and I wonder if uninterrupted by humans, would these dogs have eaten their kills. I would be inclined to say so.
5. The manner in which this article is written and people's lack of understanding of these creatures is a clear indicator of how many of us should not own dogs.
This is apualing!
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