Multnomah County officials are asking for the public's help in an effort to solve the mystery of the wandering Malamutes.

County officials say at least eight "Malamute-type" dogs have been found in the last two months near the southern end of

near Northwest Cornell Road, and two of them have been shot for killing a goat. But so far, the county hasn't been able to determine where the dogs came from.

The first two dogs were spotted near

at 11:05 a.m. on Friday, March 21. One of those dogs has since been adopted out and the other has been transferred to another animal care organization.

Then, on March 25, four dogs killed a goat belonging to a resident of the area. Two of those dogs ran off and the resident shot the other two, as allowed by law.

On March 30, another stray was found and on May 22, yet another was trapped after eating dog food at an area resident's home.

"Malamutes are a somewhat unusual breed and it's really odd to have so many unclaimed dogs from the same area," said Mike Oswald, director of Multnomah County Animal Services in a news release. "We've got a genuine Malamute mystery on our hands and hope somebody in the public might have some information to help us solve it."

All of the dogs have been thin and Animal Services wants to determine how they came to be in the area. Oswald said the agency hopes to hear from anyone who knows anything about the dogs. The contact is Michelle Luckey, Animal Services field supervisor, at 503-988-6238.

Anyone interested in adopting the Malamutes or other dogs can check in at the Animal Services

. Also, anyone who wants to help care for the dogs or other abandoned animals can support through

.

-- The Oregonian