A Colorado family says they have been left with staggering medical expenses after their toddler was brutally attacked by a police K-9 that escaped from a neighboring officer’s home.
The Dean family had gathered in their Castle Rock backyard on August 11, 2024, to celebrate their twins’ birthday when, they say, a large black dog vaulted over the fence and ran directly toward their two-year-old daughter, Lily.
The dog, named Ragnar, was a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department K-9 assigned to Deputy Zachary Oliver, who lived next door. Lily’s father, Nick Dean, told CBS News that he saw the animal coming and raced to shield his family and the party guests.
‘I was up here on our upper porch, and I sprinted down the stairs and essentially met the dog after the dog had attacked my daughter Lily, and he dragged her across the grass in the backyard,’ Nick told the outlet.
Family friend Lindsey Speer, who witnessed the horrifying scene, told FOX31 that Ragnar clamped down on the toddler’s leg and “whipped her like a rag doll.”
Nick said several men at the birthday party then jumped in, with three male guests throwing themselves onto the K-9 in a desperate effort to end the attack.
‘When I was wrestling the dog, I could hear the cracking of her femur bone,’ Nick recalled to CBS News.
Nick was also seriously injured while trying to rescue his daughter, and the family says both father and child are still dealing with the physical and emotional aftermath nearly two years later.
GoFundMe photo of Nick and Bethany Dean and their twins, Lily and Ollie
Lily Dean is treated after the brutal dog attack that occurred back in August 2024
The dog, Ragnar, was a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department K-9 who lived next door with his handler, Deputy Zachary Oliver
A GoFundMe set up by the family to cover their mounting medical bills said Lily suffered deep lacerations across her stomach, along with a punctured femur.
Nick sustained injuries to his chest, neck, back and hip and continues to struggle with PTSD and other lasting psychological effects, per the fundraiser.
‘It’s just the combination of not feeling strong enough to protect my family, and the pain,’ Nick said.
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‘The chronic pain is like having an operating system going on in the background that just never shuts off, and it’s tiring,’ he added.
Prosecutors charged Oliver, but a jury cleared him after his lawyers argued his county contract protected him from criminal liability.
Oliver has since left the sheriff’s office, while the K-9 was retired from duty. The Deans said the dog and its handler moved away from the neighborhood nine months after the incident.
The family also hoped the county would help cover their medical costs, but the family says they are now saddled with $300,000 in debt.
Nick sustained severe injuries and continues to struggle with PTSD
Photo posted on August 23, 2026,of Nick and Bethany Dean and their twins, Lily and Ollie, after Nick and Lily survived an attack by a police dog
A 2023 photo of Zach Oliver and his dog Ragnar
Lily and Ollie’s party prior to the attack
‘When the criminal proceedings turned into nothing, we thought, well, of course, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is going to do what’s right by our family,’ Nick told the outlet.
A Jefferson County attorney told the Deans’ lawyer that the county does not use taxpayer money to cover claims when it has no legal liability.
The family’s GoFundMe had surpassed $67,000 in donations as of Monday.
