Oregon: 39-year-old horse brutally attacked by pit bulls

OREGON -- A couple living on Southeast Moore Lane in Eagle Creek says a neighbor's dogs brutally attacked their horse, and they say they may shoot the dogs if they come back.

But Clackamas County authorities said Thursday it's not clear if the dogs are to blame.

Mary and Jim Hurley said the dogs have repeatedly gotten loose. In two separate incidents, they and a neighbor said the dogs ran along fences scaring and trying to attack livestock.

But earlier this week, they believe the dogs got through a fence, which is now blocked off.

The Hurleys have two miniature horses, a donkey named Otis and a 39-year-old horse, Irish, which was given the name because he was born on St. Patrick's Day.

"He's pretty stubborn," Mary said. "He's old, he's in retirement, he gets what he wants."

On Monday morning, Mary came out to feed Irish and made a shocking discovery.

"Irish was standing back there in his stall dripping blood," Mary said, "and when I went to take a look at him his lip had been torn, his sheath (groin) was torn, he had a gouge out of his leg."

Mary called a veterinarian then bee-lined to her neighbor's house.

"And looked him over and I says, 'Are your dogs put away?' And he says, 'Yeah, yeah, they're put up,'" Mary said. "I says, 'Well they better because the next time they're on my property we probably are going to shoot them.'"

Mary and Jim suspect those dogs, two pit bulls, attacked Irish overnight.

They said another neighbor snapped photos of the dogs on Sept. 7 after they got on the Hurleys' property and scared Otis and the miniature horses through fences.

Jim, getting choked up, said it hurt him to see Irish, who needed 12 stitches, get so brutally attacked.

"Any animal, they're just like kids," Jim said. "They're like kids, all of 'em, and that's the reason I gave up huntin'."

A woman next door said the same dogs chased her horse early Tuesday morning.

A KATU crew went to the home of the dogs' owner and a woman told them in Spanish she didn't know where the dogs were.

"I would like for them to at least acknowledge that it could've been their dogs," said Mary.

Kristine Wallace, field supervisor for Clackamas County Dog Services, told KATU by email the dogs' owner was cited for having unlicensed dogs and may be cited for having the dogs loose on Sept. 7.

But Wallace also said, "There is not sufficient evidence to determine if the dogs from the 9/7/16 incident are responsible for the injury to the horse since there were no witnesses."

"Next step is to get cameras," said Jim. "We're gettin' cameras for the whole property."

The Hurleys said Irish is mending but they're hoping he doesn't get an infection.

"We’re still not out of the woods," said Mary.

(KATU - Sept 15, 2016)