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WEST VALLEY CITY — The search for a feral dog suspected of killing livestock, who has successfully avoided capture for over a year, is intensifying.

According to West Valley officials, there is now a confirmed report of the Akita-German shepherd mix attempting to attack a child who was able to avoid injury by using his bike as protection.

The dog is also suspected of "killing over 40 various livestock animals, which include chickens, sheep, goats and a large full grown alpaca that stood about 6 feet in height and weighed over 100 lbs.," according to a search warrant filed in 3rd District Court.

Some of the livestock animals being killed are from the Roots Charter High School. The school says that since June, two alpacas, two goats, two sheep and a pig have been killed.

Related:

Stray dogs kill farm animals at West Valley charter school Emotions were raw at a farm-based charter school in West Valley City where two stray dogs attacked and killed some of the animals over the past week. Six animals were killed and four others wounded in two separate attacks at Roots Charter High School.

Police say numerous residents in that area have various livestock animals on their property.

"The West Valley City Animal Control Division has attempted on countless occasions to capture the male dog, and (has) spent thousands of dollars in employee hours attempting to capture the male dog. The male dog has increasingly grown more feral and its attacks on livestock have greatly increased since around June 2018," the warrant states.

The livestock attacks "appear to be unprovoked and the male dog appears to be killing for fun, and is not killing for food and is not eating the animals it kills," investigators wrote.

The warrant further states that "it is just a matter of time until this feral male dog gets tired of killing livestock and turns on human beings or other dogs."

The dog has mainly been spotted in the Chesterfield area, from about 2100 South to 3100 South, and from the Jordan River to Redwood Road (1700 West).

Police say there are two prevailing rumors about where the dog came from. One is that the owner was a transient living along the Jordan River Parkway and passed away. The other is that the owner is now incarcerated and the dog was left to fend for himself.

The dog has learned what the uniforms and vehicles of the West Valley City Animal Control Division and the West Valley City Police Department look like and no one involved in trying to capture the male dog can get anywhere near it, as it will run away and hide as soon as it sees any marked vehicle or uniforms. –search warrant

West Valley officials say the dog has become good at avoiding animal control officers.

"The dog has learned what the uniforms and vehicles of the West Valley City Animal Control Division and the West Valley City Police Department look like and no one involved in trying to capture the male dog can get anywhere near it, as it will run away and hide as soon as it sees any marked vehicle or uniforms," the warrant states.

Additionally, officials believe some residents are taking turns sheltering the animal.

Police describe the residents of one property where the dog is suspected of being sheltered as "anti-West Valley City police, anti-West Valley City Animal Control, and anti-West Valley City government," the warrant states. The couple that lives there has been "very hostile and aggressive" toward city officials and "have threatened to civilly sue … any employee of West Valley City who steps on the property," according to the warrant.

"Their behavior has been so erratic that there has been no success in reasoning or speaking with them."

At least six animal control agencies have assisted in saturating the area looking for the dog.

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