Two loose dogs kill family cat in Meridian Tuesday morning

IDAHO -- A pair of dogs in Meridian's Kelly Creek subdivision were restrained by police and turned over to animal control after a resident reported that the dogs had apparently killed a neighbor's cat.

Police were dispatched to the 2000 block of Kelly Creek Drive at 8:12 a.m. A resident reported that two pit bulls were eating a cat.

Meridian Police Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea said two Meridian officers and an Ada County deputy responded to the incident.

"I think their concern was — you have two dogs, and you don't know how they're gong to react when they get there," Basterrechea said.

Officers found two Boxers which were friendly toward them. They quickly leashed up the dogs — one used a leash from K9 unit and another used leg restraints as a leash — and put them in the back of two patrol cars, according to Idaho Humane Society animal control officer Terry Fox.

Fox, who arrived at the scene at about 9 a.m., loaded the dogs in his van without incident.

"They're friendly towards people," Fox said.

[Well, hell, they're "friendly towards people"? What a moron. So what? That's like saying a child molester is friendly towards women - just not kids.]

He said no one actually witnessed the dogs kill the cat, but one police officer saw the dog pick the cat up.

Fox said the two dogs — both neutered males believed to be at least 5 years old — had no tags, no collars and no chips. If the owners come forward, they face at least four citations (two for dog at-large, two for no license). The fines associated with those citations are $25 (first offense) and $50 (second offense). Third offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $300 fine and/or up to 90 days in jail.

The neighbor who reported the incident told the Statesman that the dogs turned toward him when he came out to find out what was going on after receiving a call from his wife, who saw the dogs when leaving for work.

At first glance, he thought they were pit bulls and he was unsure if they would be aggressive toward him. He retreated to his house and called police.

"My concern was schoolchildren walking by," said the man, who did not want to be identified. "We've got schools all over here."

The man said the cat belonged to his next door neighbor; the cat apparently died in the front yard of that home. He said he'd never seen the dogs before.

(Idaho Statesman - March 18, 2014)