Dogs attack sheep, kill 44
Oct 11, 2012 – From staff reports

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of 44 sheep that reportedly were killed by dogs running at large north of Riverton. Deputies were notified of the issue at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, when the owner of the sheep reported finding 50 to 75 of the animals dead or injured in their corral at 39 Jennings Road.

“It appears the dogs entered into a feed lot and ran the sheep against the outer railings,” Lee said. “Some sheep appeared to have died due to being trampled while others were directly attacked by the dogs.”

He said more may die as the result of injuries. The sheep owners are estimated to have lost more than $6,000 of livestock.

Two dogs have been identified as “responsible” for the killings, Lee said, but he guessed that more were involved.

“We have had this problem in the past in this same area,” Lee said. He warned dog owners to keep their animals at home.

“If you own a dog and fail to keep the dog from running at large, you have committed a criminal offense,” Lee said. “Dog owners are held criminally liable for damages to persons or livestock.”

Fines may be assessed to dog owners, Lee said, and their pets may be put down if the animals are determined to be vicious.

A blogger comments:

Dogs kill 44 sheep in Wyoming. Ho hum, but what if it had been wolves?
Oct 13, 2012
Story is of little interest to Wyoming media-

Dogs running loose have killed 44 sheep north of Riverton, Wyoming. Perhaps a score or more were injured. The incident has received minor attention from the Wyoming media. The story got more attention than a story about a bar fight, but not much, but what if wolves had killed 44 sheep? This is close to the average number of sheep killed in the state as a whole by wolves in the average year. For that, there is no end of complaining about wolf attacks here and there by ranchers who say they can tolerate no more, psychologically or economically.

Not to worry though, the sheriff sternly chided local dog owners.