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Show 4 - TRYING TIMES . JANUARY 1995 Pets of Destruction In Castle Valley, along with winter on our doorstep, we have large herds of deer. This is their winter home. At the same time, an increasing year ‘round population brings an increasing dog population. People are annoyed when the deer constantly intrude on their property, screaming and fighting for his life. His anus was chewed open with a hole as large as a basketball. His stomach was ripped open and his entire intestine assembly was dragging on the ground. At the same time, the buck was entangled and tripping over his own stomach and intestines while screaming and trying to fight, with no success. During this time the beagle was thousands of years. Many people in Castle Valley let their dogs roam like free spirits. People don’t realize (or do they?) that while they are in their warm houses watching a video or sleeping, their wonderful, clinging to the face of the buck with a death grip. One side of the face was ripped completely off the buck’s skull. Can you imagine this? The buck stumbling on three legs screaming for his life, and his body torn to absolute shreds because of the relentless dogs. This was the dog’s last chase. Once dogs start killing animals and tasting their victims' blood, there is no stopping them. It is almost impossible to break them of this. I have seen that friendly, harmless tail-wagging dogs Castle Valley and Spanish Valley have are out killing the winter exhausted been and still are the dumping grounds for people’s unwanted pets. As these instances continue to increase, “a few dogs” turn into large packs. Packs of dogs can be very dangerous. They can destroying their shrubs, fruit trees, etc. This is only natural and to be expected; after all, we are living in the middle of their traditional winter grounds. The deer have been using Castle Valley for deer. After a night of hard work, some dogs come home before their masters are out of bed, while others may be gone several days in pursuit of the hunt. People think their dogs are harmless animals.They just lie around the house and snooze in the warmth of the sun. People don’t realize their dogs are exhausted from a night’s frolic in the moonlight chasing horrified deer that are literally running for their lives! Deer cannot afford to lose what few calories they have stored for winter to the master’s well fed dogs. Three winters ago there were several dogs chasing deer. One was a beagle and another resembled a German shepherd, black in color and weighing approximately 50 pounds. A friend and I decided to check out the situation. It was obvious by the haunting baying of the beagle that the dogs were in pursuit of deer. After an hour of searching in 14 inches of snow, we found the dogs’ tracks in the Placer Creek drainage near Round Mountain. The scene I’m about to describe is one of the goriest I have ever witnessed. The two dogs had chased a large four-point mule deer buck until it was exhausted. At that point the large buck slipped on a rock and snapped its back leg. The back leg bone, a compound fracture, was sticking out of the flesh. The leg was flapping like a flag in the wind. We could hear the buck screaming for his life a half mile away. When we arrived the buck was still alive, and will attack people, adults, children, pets, and wildlife. 1 have witnessed five dogs in a pack chasing and killing deer in Castle Valley. I know two dogs were wild and the other three belonged to property owners. Tamed and wild do join together on hunts. Deer in Utah are legally considered property of the State. Any harassment of wildlife whatsoever on public or private land is considered illegal. In many cases land owners do not have fencing around their property. Therefore, when the deer come through, dogs are startled by the oncoming dog and bolt at full speed. They are so scared they run into other property owners’ fences, causing damage to those fences and to themselves. I recently saw a doe hit a fence full speed ahead and lose control. She hit the ground and snapped her front leg. She was being chased by a dog. This is wildlife harassment. The Department of Wildlife Resources has jurisdiction in these matters and where there are violations has full legal control in terms of enforcement. As stated in the CV Times (October '94) by Maria Loe, “It is customary in the west to shoot roaming and marauding dogs.” If the dog problems continue to grow, we can expect another ordinance in Castle Valley. Castle Valley is still kind of a wild place. That is why most of us live here. We should feel fortunate that we have these deer herds and respect them. We and our pets are the intruders. If deer are a problem, you can fence your property. If your dogs chase deer or wander, you can fence them in! We humans have our rights and need our space too, but as our vast countryside slowly succumbs to urban encroachment, we must remember not to destroy everything in our path, as has happened so often before. If we can’t properly discipline and take care of our dogs, then we shouldn’t have them. I’m reminded of a quote I often reflect upon. I read it on a cliff wall in Chaco Canyon. “If we lose nature we will have lost everything we have already forgotten.” ——Greg Nunn chase them. What follows is the deer [@‘CQ'CQ—CE‘LHA CMCH CE? LAND PLAN SERVICES 0 0 0 0 General Land Use Planning Project Feasibility Evaluations Review Process Consultation Residential Site Design Dean Kerkling (801) 259-5057 ALSO FAX Service for Castle Valley |