On the morning of Nov. 15, I was walking my dog along the trail in Slaughterhouse Canyon. As we approached a woman walking toward us with three dogs, one of her dogs came running at my dog and viciously attacked her. He only relented after I kicked him. He had broken one of my dog's legs and put two puncture wounds in another. This attack was completely unprovoked.
My dog is a 6-month-old female border collie mix. She was walking by my side and had not approached the dog that attacked her. I had to carry her out of the canyon. The attack resulted in three surgeries, 15 stitches, two broken bones that are stabilized with metal rods and pins screwed into her leg and what will be two months of recovery time for my puppy.
I later learned that the dog that had attacked was "Dax," the Sun Valley police dog, and that this was not the first incident where Dax had attacked another dog. I met with Police Chief Cam Daggett to express my concern over their dog's unpredictable behavior. He listened to my concerns, agreed to pay the vet bill, and told me that in the future their dog would be kept on a leash and would only be exercised by the handler. However, I don't know if that action is enough. It scares me to think that this dog is out in our community—a community he is trained to protect. I understand that the city of Sun Valley has invested a lot of time and money in training their dog, but I wonder if it is worth the liability. What if his next unpredictable attack is aimed at a person?
I feel the community has a right to know the risk of this unpredictable dog living and working here.
Kerry Renner
Bellevue
