Five animals are dead on an acreage east of Calgary within the city limits after the property owner discovered her four alpacas and one llama slaughtered Tuesday morning.
Marguerite Jack said there were two vicious dogs, growling and standing guard around them. Because she didn’t actually witness the attack, Jack assumed the dogs were responsible for the killing.
“I took our dog out and put him in the garage last night and went out there this morning,” Jack said. “We saw coyotes, too, but they’re usually scavengers; they usually clean up.”
Only two of the animals survived.
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“We just have two left – a mom and her baby.”
READ MORE: Owner charged after complaint of llamas in distress on Alberta property
Neighbour Eugene Skinner said he encountered the dogs Monday night.
“We were standing on our patio deck and a couple of dogs came into our yard and I hollered at them and the one just lunged right at us,” Skinner said. “I just grabbed the snow shovel and banged it against the steps. Then they took off.
“They were vicious.”
Calgary police and city bylaw services visited Jack’s property Tuesday. Two dogs were seized “following reports that the dogs were attacking the livestock.”
“Based on observations made during the investigation, Calgary Community Standards and Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers concluded that the attack was consistent with a wildlife attack (most likely coyote) and not a dog attack,” reads a statement from a city spokesperson.
The city said the dogs were released to the owner, who has received two charges under the responsible pet ownership bylaw for animals running at large.
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