Off-leash dog mauled, killed another dog at popular Boise park, family says

An off-leash dog at Quinn’s Pond attacked and killed a smaller dog on Friday, reported KIVI-TV.

Owner Cynthia Janoushek was at the popular Boise park with Miss Kitty, her 5-year-old miniature Yorkshire Terrier, when a larger off-leash dog mauled the smaller animal. Miss Kitty was on a leash, Janoushek told Channel 6.

“He was just running around with her in his mouth, and it was just like blood on the floor,” said Amiya Almaraz, who witnessed the attack.

The family told KIVI that employees from nearby Idaho River Sports and park visitors helped them retrieve Miss Kitty from the other dog, described as a malamute-shepherd mix.

“I took her to WestVet (emergency veterinarian) and they tried to resuscitate her, but she was gone,” Janoushek said.

The Idaho Humane Society, which contracts animal control officers throughout the Treasure Valley, confirmed to the Statesman that the large dog’s owner was cited for dog at large and having a nuisance dog. Miss Kitty’s owners are debating a civil suit against the owner of the other dog.

Janoushek told KIVI she worried about what other damage the dog could have inflicted at the busy park.

“What if that was a baby in a stroller, you know? What if that was a child that (dog) was eating?” she said.

Off-leash dogs are not permitted at Quinn’s Pond, nor are they allowed off-leash in the majority of neighboring Esther Simplot Park after March 31. (Esther Simplot Park does have an off-leash dog area in its north end that is open year-round.)

Boise city code makes owners legally responsible for any damage or injuries that their dogs cause, and the city’s website states that aggressive dogs are not welcome to be off-leash even in designated off-leash areas.

“Leash them and if you know their personality is a little aggressive, (and) don’t bring to a place where there are over a thousand people,” Janoushek said.

IHS spokeswoman Allison Maier said animal control has no previous citations on record for the attacking dog. It wasn’t immediately clear what circumstances preceded the attack or whether the incident could have been provoked in some way.

This story was originally published June 5, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Off-leash dog mauled, killed another dog at popular Boise park, family says."