Washington: Pet wallabies were killed by their owner's mastiff and pit bull mix. No wonder she was uncooperative with the investigation.

WASHINGTON -- A veterinarian’s report shows that three pet wallabies killed in their Spokane yard were mauled by their owner’s two dogs.

The Spokesman-Review reports that the owner had alerted police after she discovered the dead wallabies earlier this month and said a person was to blame.

But an investigation by the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service determined her OWN DOGS -- a mastiff and pit bull / Dalmatian mix — named Mischief and Diesel, respectively — were responsible.

The report says the wallabies were covered in canine bite marks and two died of asphyxiation due to “crushing holds” to their necks. The third was decapitated and disemboweled.

The report indicates that the owner of the dogs and wallabies was not cooperative and initially refused to turn over her dogs for examination. She also did not report the attack until 12 hours after it occurred and after she had cleaned up the area, investigators said.

PIT BULL ATTACKED BEFORE
SCRAPS responded to the same home in March after receiving reports that the pit bull had attacked a Shih Tzu, Hill said. There were conflicting accounts of whether the Shih Tzu was in its own yard or the pit bull’s yard; the smaller dog needed veterinary care.

An examination of the two dogs showed that the pit bull had “high-fat rare meat content” and bone pieces in his stomach, SCRAPS director Nancy Hill said. The dog also appeared to have severe indigestion and scratches on his body. The mastiff had less animal material in his stomach and no visible wounds.

Spokane police earlier confirmed it was a dog that killed the wallabies.

“It was not malicious,” Spokane police spokesman Officer Shane Phillips told The Spokesman-Review earlier this month. “It was not murder. It looks like this lady’s pet dog ate her pet wallabies.”

The two dogs have been declared potentially dangerous.

Since Diesel and Mischief have been declared potentially dangerous dogs, their owner must ensure the fence around the yard is strong enough to keep her dogs in and other dogs out.

“It’s a red warning flag on the dog’s file,” Hill said.

Any violation of the potentially dangerous dog ordinance, which would include letting a dog be “at large,” is a criminal misdemeanor, she said.

(Seattle Times - Dec 29, 2016)