Show animals killed on eve of Tehama District Fair

CALIFORNIA -- Since May, Allyson and T.C. Drury had put in long days getting their animals ready to show in the Tehama District Fair.

T.C. was raising a goat through 4-H and Allyson was raising a lamb. They got up every day at 4 a.m. to feed and water their animals. Allyson was raising Marvin, her lamb, and T.C. was raising Patches, his goat.

They took care of them when they got home from school. They cleaned pens, went to meetings and shows. Wednesday was the big day for 11-year-old T.C. and 14-year-old Allyson. They were supposed to take their animals to the fair for the show and auction later this week.

But their plans were crushed when they arrived home in Los Molinos about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, said their father, Tim Drury.

Marvin and Patches were dead in their pens, apparently mauled to death, Tim Drury said. Two strange dogs that had never been seen before in the neighborhood were lying nearby in the grass, he said.

“The animals were just a bloody mess and they were dead. It was obvious these two dogs had just taken care of these two animals,” Drury said.

Tehama County Animal Control officer Rudy Aguilar said he was called out to the Drury’s about 7 p.m. Tuesday and found the two dead animals and the two dogs had tied up.

One of the dogs appeared to be a great Dane mix, and the other was a pit bull mix. He did not know if they were male or female. Only one of the dogs had identifying tags on it, he said.

Both dogs are being held at the Red Bluff Animal Care Center, he said. He did not want to speculate what types of punishment the dogs’ owners could face.

Aguilar said he could not say the two dogs killed Patches and Marvin. He also said he would not reveal what evidence he collected at the scene.

Drury said Aguilar told his wife, Wendy, there was evidence that the two dogs killed the livestock.

“He told me they smelled like goat and sheep blood,” Drury said.

“You prepare all summer for this and now you don’t even have the opportunity to show,” Drury said. “Someone was irresponsible in taking care of their dogs, they got out and now these dogs are responsible for taking away an opportunity for these kids.”

Allyson and T.C. were both upset at the death of their animals, but they are helping out others who are showing their animals at the fair this week, Drury said.

(Record-Searchlight - Sept 26, 2013)