Deschutes County Dog Board spares life of dog that chased, killed 5 chickens in Terrebonne

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes County Dog Control Board held a hearing Tuesday to decide the fate of a Bernese Mountain Dog/Great Pyrenees mix that chased and killed five chickens last month in Terrebonne.

The board is made up of five county residents and three alternates. At least two members must be directly or indirectly connected wih the livestock industry.

Under state law, dogs that engage in killing, wounding, injuring or chasing livestock could be ordered euthanized, but board members say they seldom issue a death sentence as they weigh the evidence and testimony.

"We certainly don't want to euthanize a dog," board member Greg Brady said. "That's really the last resort, where you have a dog that has multiple infractions or is a particularly egregious situation."

"In most cases, the recommendation will be to, you know, secure the area where the dog is kept," Brady added. "That might involve closing a hole in a fence, putting up a fence to begin with, making sure that the dog is micro-chipped, licensed -- things like that."

The board acts as a mediator between the livestock and dog owners, and also tries to advocate for what's best for the dog.

In this case, the two parties came to an agreement. The dog owner apologized, and the livestock owners did not want the dog harmed.

The board told the dog owner their breed was notorious for escaping, and advised reinforcing their fences.

The dog, housed at Redmond's BrightSide Animal Center since the Feb. 25 incident, will be returned to the owner.