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Pet Wolfdogs’ Deadly Rampage After Escaping

Incident Date:
03/07/2025
Location:
McMinnville, OR - USA
Facility Name:
Facility Type:
Exotic Pet (E)
Incident Category:
Animal Death by other animal (DA)
Species:
Other
Animal:
Wolfdog
Animal disposition:
Removed/Re-housed

Summary:

MCMINNVILLE, OR – Four wolfdogs jumped a six-foot-high backyard fence in McMinnville on March 7 and roamed more than a mile, killing a pet dog and two cats before they were caught.

The wolfdogs’ killing spree shocked McMinnville but it didn’t necessarily surprise them. It was the culmination of a years-long standoff between city officials and Sandra Atwood, a 41-year-old resident who got her first wolf-dog hybrid mix in 2021 and, in the years since, acquired four more.

Although it’s unclear which of Atwood’s dogs killed the pets, all four are currently impounded, and Atwood faces 22 citations in McMinnville Municipal Court. She might never see her dogs again — an outcome that neighbors would be pleased with, after years of complaints about the dogs’ noise, smell, and ability to escape.

Action take by Born Free USA:

Notes: