MURRAY, Utah — Charlie Thronson was walking his dogs, Theo and Sweet Pea, at Murray Park one last time before moving to North Carolina. Thronson says he was 50 yards out after his walk when the unthinkable happened.
"Out of the blue comes this large terrier, 80–90 pounds, it attacked me and one of my dogs... I tried to fight off the dog, then it grabbed my one dog by its head shook it and ran off with it," Thronson said.
A good Samaritan was able to stop the attack, but Thronson thought his Dog, Theo, was dead until he saw slight breaths. His other dog, Sweet Pea, ran away in the commotion. She was later found at the Starbucks nearby, but her brother, Theo, suffered critical injuries.
"He had torn all the flesh off the back of his neck, right now he looks like he's going to make it from what was really a horrific attack," Thronson said.
Thronson says off-leash dogs are a common problem at Murray and other Salt Lake County Parks. He says as the population has grown, he is more worried for kids, older people, and other dogs that could be attacked by an off-leash dog.
"It's really not the dog's fault, it's the owner's fault that refuses to obey the law and refuses to recognize the risk that that poses," Thronson said.
Ryan Degrey at Salt Lake County Animal Services says leashes are required in all of our cities in Salt Lake County; however, the exact specifications of the law in each city may vary.
"What that requires is an animal is under the physical control of a leash or something that acts like a leash," Degrey said.
Degrey says that there is a string of possible consequences for having a dog off-leash.
"You could be fined, you could be issued a criminal citation, you could be liable for restitution where you would be paying for somebody's medical bills, vet treatment bills, property damage," he said.
Many people say they are unaware of leash laws in public parks due to a lack of signage and confusion on what is considered on-leash and off-leash areas.
"Parks are not required to have a signage that says you have to be on a leash," Degrey said.
Thronson says more signage is a simple solution that could help prevent attacks like Theo's.
"County posts five or six signs that say it is illegal to have a dog off-leash and then a phone number you can call if you see a dog off-leash," Thronson said.
Salt Lake County Animal Services says if you want to learn more about leash laws in your neighborhood you can visit their website. If you or your dog is attacked by another animal, you should call animal control.
