Highlands ranch owner sets trap for dogs killing her miniature horses

"The dogs are ripping their ears off and ripping out their throats," McClanahan said. "The dogs are ripping their ears off and ripping out their throats," McClanahan said. Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Highlands ranch owner sets trap for dogs killing her miniature horses 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A woman who has a small ranch near Highlands says she's heartbroken at the vicious dog attacks that have killed eight of her miniature horses and one donkey.

But she's also perplexed.

"I just can't believe that I'm the only out there having problems," Jeanne McClanahan said Tuesday.

The trouble began Thanksgiving night, when three dogs that appeared to be pitbulls or mixes attacked her herd of about 100 miniature horses.

"They outright killed three and maimed and injured four more to the point they had to be put down," said McClanahan, 54, who grew up in Highlands and has raised horses for 26 years.

The loose dogs also injured two donkeys, one of which had to be euthanized.

"She was the smallest of the donkeys but not really miniature - maybe 38 to 40 inches," she said.

The measurement is from the ground to the animal's withers, or top of the shoulder.

McClanahan's horses range in size from 31 to 38 inches.

"The dogs are ripping their ears off and ripping out their throats," she said. "One (horse) that was killed that night wasn't but maybe 30 inches tall. She was just a year old, a baby."

The horses were worth a total of about $18,000 because they were either show horses or brood mares, she said.

McClanahan said she contacted animal control officials at the Veterinary Public Health division of Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services on Dec. 2, as soon as possible after the Thanksgiving holiday.

"They said they'd get someone out there when they had somebody in the area," she said.

Meanwhile, the dogs came back on Christmas and killed another horse.

"That was my Christmas present, another dead pony," she said.

On Dec. 27, animal control officers delivered a trap for McClanahan to try to capture the dogs alive.

The out-of-control canines have come back but so far have successfully avoided the trap.

For now, McClanahan is keeping watch on her animals during the night and carries a gun with her every time she goes outdoors.

McClanahan said she's hopeful that other people whose animals are being endangered will also report the loose dogs to animal control at 281-999-3191.