The State - News from Jan. 30, 1989

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear arguments on whether a dog should be executed for mauling llamas. Deschutes County authorities in Oregon have delayed the execution of Tazz, an Akita-malamute cross. The dog was ordered destroyed by the county commission after it was accused of mauling llamas in January, 1987, on the Patterson llama ranch near the community of Sisters. Tazz’s owner, Ray Bowlin of Sisters, has vowed to go to the Supreme Court if necessary to save the dog’s life. He already has lost appeals in state courts and U.S. District Court. The San Francisco appeals court will hear arguments on whether to extend a stay of the execution order for the remainder of the appeals process. Under county ordinances, dogs found guilty of attacking livestock must be destroyed by lethal injection. Bowlin said llama were not considered livestock at the time of the attack and therefore were not covered by the ordinance.