Crook County eyes new rules after dog bites girl

The case of 6-year old Kaylee, who got attacked by a dog at the Ochooco Reservoir in July, shook Crook County.

“It bit me and scratched me and bit me a few more times ,” Kaylee said last month.

After she was bitten numerous times by the dog, Crook County sheriff’s deputies let the dog remain with its owner.

At the time, the agency told NewsChannel 21 that their hands were tied. Under current county law, police cannot quarantine dogs that have bitten a person, unless the dog is suspected to have rabies.

“It’s frustrating. We have to operate under the statute and the definition of the statute,” sheriff’s Sgt. James Savage said then.

Now, that could soon change.

Following Kaylee’s attack, Crook County’s legal department has drafted proposed changes to the dog ordinance.

The biggest revision is that local law enforcement would be given the right to impound a dog.

The new ordinance states that “the Crook County Sheriff’s Office (…) may impound a dog upon reasonable belief that the dog is subject to a violation (…).”

The dog can then be held for five days, unless otherwise ordered by the Crook County Circuit Court.

County commissioners plan a second reading of the revised ordinance Sept. 3. If approved, it could take effect within 90 days.

“I’m very happy to hear that they are making some changes,” said Kaylee’s mother, Jenni Carver-Ross. “I think it’s unfortunate that it has taken this incident, and from what I’ve heard, a previous incident.”

Unfortunately, those changes are coming too late for Kaylee’s family, which is not getting reimbursed for any medical bills.

Meanwhile, the dog owner was fined for a public nuisance, and the dog remains free.

Carver-Ross is dismayed “that it was just a public nuisance when my daughter was attacked by a dog.”