Pit Bull and Boxer Attack Calves; One Dies other Badly Injured
Dogs Have a History of Being LooseRolland Township, MI - In a theme that continues to play out in US semi-rural counties, a farmer awoke to his calves being mauled by two dogs, both of which had a history of being loose. This time, his two Jersey calves were injured -- one so badly that it was euthanized. The dogs are now at the county animal shelter as authorities prepare a report to send to the prosecutor.
The farmer, Clyde Pritchard, spoke Tuesday of the horror he faced when he went into the barn, hearing a dog barking inside the building. When he went into the barn, he saw the pit bull-mix inside the pen with the calves; one of the animals was visibly bloody with a broken jaw, and the other was lying on its back, "with its legs sticking up in the air," Pritchard said.
By the time Pritchard ran back to the house, got a gun and loaded it and returned to the barn, the dog was outside. He took a shot and missed as the dog ran away. Returning to the barn, Pritchard inspected the calves -- one a 100-pound, six-week-old male; the other an eight-month old female. With both calves injured, the smaller of the two more severely, Pritchard called the Pol Veterinary Clinic.
Pritchard also called the Isabella County Sheriff's Department and animal control. Detective Sgt. Dan Denslow said that a report will be sent to Prosecutor Burdick's office, along with the report from animal control, for possible charges. Pritchard's neighbor and owner of the dogs was issued several tickets as well. Meanwhile, Pritchard is concerned about children in the neighborhood.
"This isn't the first time those dogs have been in the barn," he said. "There's probably 10 or 15 little kids in the neighborhood." Pritchard has received several phone calls from other neighbors supporting his quest to get the dogs out of the neighborhood. DogsBite.org hopes that Pritchard is successful. It is often tough to remove dangerous dogs until after a second or third animal attack.
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