Watch CBS News

Humane Society Seizes Dog In Md. Sheep Attack

FUNKSTOWN, Md. (WJZ) -- A bloodbath.  That's how it looked to the owners of a flock of sheep, mauled and killed by two pit bulls in western Maryland.

Alex DeMetrick reports the attack happened on a farm in Washington County after the dogs got loose from a home in a residential neighborhood.

Sunday morning, Joe Frey entered his barn near the community of Funkstown to feed his flock of sheep.  Instead, he found two pit bull dogs.

"They were barking and growling and my first instinct was, I had nothing to defend myself with so I just backed right out of the barn," Frey said.

He made it to a door and closed the dogs in.  His son came with a gun and killed one of the dogs.  The other fled.

That's when Frey saw the damage.

"I had dead sheep, I had sheep that were standing here with no jaw, no nose, jaw hanging down that we had to put down," he said.

Twenty sheep were attacked and 12 died.  The survivors show signs of the mauling: wounds and broken bones.

"It's like losing a child.  These animals were priceless to us," said Debbie Frey.

The dog that ran off was tracked to a home in Funkstown and taken into custody by Animal Control.

"The dog has been deemed vicious and dangerous," said James Bowers, Maryland State Police.

"They're kept in the house.  They're all inside dogs," said Kayla Murphy, who owns the dogs.

Murphy says the two pit bulls never showed signs of aggression before.  She says Bubba---the dog shot and killed---and Isabella where gentle around children and other animals.

"I feel bad for what has happened to the farmer's animals but I don't believe they did it," she said.  "He was my four-legged furry child.  He was my world."

But the Freys are dealing with their own loss, and it isn't over yet.

"These sheep are not out of the woods by any stretch," said Joe Frey.

The pit bull owner says she wants her dog back.

A pending hearing by the Animal Control authority will make that decision.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.