STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — This week, Steamboat Springs police killed an aggressive dog that had a history of unprovoked attacks after it got loose and became an “extreme public safety concern,” the police department said.
On Tuesday around 4 p.m., officers with the Steamboat Springs Police Department responded to the 1300 block of Sparta Plaza after receiving a report of an aggressive and loose dog.
By the time a community service officer had arrived in the area, multiple other people had called 911 to report the dog trying to attack people, police said. A professional dog trainer had also called on behalf of the owner asking for help getting the dog back inside a residence.
The community service officer recognized that the dog was too aggressive for one officer to handle and called for more help, police said.
Three Steamboat Springs police officers responded alongside a deputy with the Routt County Sheriff’s Office. More units arrived shortly afterward.
Steamboat Springs Police Department
The dog owner and law enforcement were unable to catch the dog, which was acting aggressively toward officers and would charge at them with teeth bared, police said. The group tried to contain it in a fenced area of a condo complex.
The police department was familiar with this dog — two citations were previously issued due to unprovoked attacks on both human and animal. Police had also previously responded to complaints involving the dog biting, acting aggressively and running loose. At this time, it was on a 10-day rabies observation quarantine.
As the sun went down with no progress, and with knowledge of the dog’s history, the police department sent out a reverse 911 notification before children would start to leave for school the next morning. Animal control officers set up a trap overnight, but it did not work.
On Wednesday morning around 7:51 a.m., police found the dog in the same parking lot off Sparta Plaza. Once again, officers and the dog’s owner tried to contain it, but were unable to do so.
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With bystanders in the area and “extreme public safety concern,” police said they “humanely euthanized the dog with a lethal round.”
“SSPD is committed to the safety of the community,” the police department said in a news release. “In the end, SSPD placed this responsibility above the welfare of the dog and were able to resolve this situation without further injury to a member of the public.”
The below video released by the police department shows the dog’s behavior (It does not show the dog’s death).
Loose, aggressive dog with history of unprovoked attacks killed by Steamboat Springs police
In a Facebook post made Friday morning, the department said it was “a very sad and unfortunate day for all involved and something we never take lightly.”
Since this incident, more people have made reports about the dog’s aggressive behavior. Those cases are being investigated, police said.
Denver7 has reached out to the police department to learn if the dog’s owner will face any new charges or citations.
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