Sen. Sarah Gelser‑Blue, constituents urge change after dogs killed alpacas
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Summary
Sen. Sarah Gelser‑Blue introduced Senate Bill 733 and constituents testified that state law treats livestock attacks by dogs as 'nuisance' in some cases, limiting county options. Witnesses described livestock loss and local enforcement that resulted only in nuisance citations.
State Sen. Sarah Gelser‑Blue introduced Senate Bill 733 and said the measure would close a gap between how the law treats nuisance dogs and potentially dangerous dogs when livestock are attacked.
"There is a difference between a nuisance dog and a potentially dangerous dog," Gelser‑Blue told the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. She said the bill grew from constituent reports of dogs running free and severely injuring alpacas, and that counties currently lack the same control tools for nuisance dogs that they have for dogs officially classified as potentially dangerous.
Linn County resident Gary Chandler testified he and his wife lost four alpacas after dogs attacked their small herd. Chandler said video showed over an hour of dogs attacking the animals; one alpaca was killed and three were later euthanized by a veterinarian. He said the county sheriff identified the dogs and their owner, but "the deputy sheriff said that no, that they weren't able to do any more than issue a citation as nuisance dogs" and that the owners were advised only to confine the animals.
"To me, a nuisance dog is maybe a dog that pushes over garbage cans," Chandler said. "A dog that brutalizes and kills livestock, should not meet that ... way surpasses a nuisance dog." Chandler said he raised the issue with Sen. Gelser‑Blue and supported the bill as the legislative response.
During committee discussion members asked clarifying questions about the definition of livestock; Gelser‑Blue said the bill would not include chickens in the livestock definition. A committee member asked about the term "jackass" in the draft language for donkeys; staff agreed to review the wording.
Several other members of the public expressed support, and Gelser‑Blue said she had heard from at least one other constituent with a similar experience. The hearing record contains testimony and questions but no committee vote on SB 733 in this session.
The committee did not take final action on SB 733 during the recorded hearing; committee members directed staff to answer drafting questions raised during the testimony.