Dog massacres chickens in Ponderosa Estates

"I warned my neighbor and his wife over and over again that their dog was after my chickens," Sherrie Georges said with tears in her eyes. "Those hens were our pets, they had names, we sold their beautiful brown eggs, my grandchildren loved them - and now they're dead."

Sherrie's granddaughters took her into Sisters that fateful day for a birthday celebration, and when they returned home, one of her grandchildren cocked her head listening to a sound others had missed, and reaching for the door handle, said, "Something's wrong with the chickens..." And ran off toward the chicken house.

"I didn't realize the scope of the tragedy," Georges said, "until I heard my granddaughter screaming. It was a terrifying sound, and as I ran into the chicken yard, there she was, sobbing, 'Bandit has killed Bucky!' her pet chicken."

At that point they noticed feathers and bodies everywhere, and Bandit in the chicken yard, about to run off one of the new white chickens in its jaws.

Another of Georges' grandchildren shouted, 'BANDIT!" and the dog dropped the mauled chicken and ran off. Georges and the children nursed the injured chicken and it survived.

While discussing the role the chickens occupied in her life, one of Georges' grandchildren reminisced: "It was three years ago that we got started with chickens. We went to Big R in Redmond and Grandma got us all each a chick. Then we got some more, and it wasn't long before we were getting to know chickens. Even after they grew up and started laying eggs, they'd still run to us and allow us to pick them up, especially Bucky. My sister would call Bucky like you would a dog, and she'd come waddling up to her to be picked up. It was terrible to see her dead with all those other chickens, and Bandit running of with one of the new chicks."

According to Lt. Gary Decker, supervisor of the animal complaints section at the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, "The first two calls from Mrs. Georges were inquiring what her options were and she did not want the deputy to take any action. On the third call she asked that we now take the report and pursue dog chasing livestock charges."

On Friday, August 14, at the conclusion of the investigation by Lt. Decker's animal at large technician, a Sisters area man was issued a citation for Dog at Large and Dog as Nuisance (livestock).

Deschutes County Sheriff's spokesman said the owner of the dog - if convicted of allowing his unlicensed dog to run loose and kill chickens (livestock) - could face fines totaling over $1,000.