This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An off-duty animal control officer shot and wounded a dog that was attacking his puppy at an off-leash dog park in Taylorsville on Saturday afternoon.
The incident occurred at Millrace Park, 1155 W. 5400 South, just before 1 p.m. A full-grown bull terrier had attacked the puppy, which is of an unknown breed, said Lt. Tracy Wyant of the Taylorsville Police Department. The bull terrier had the puppy by the neck, and the owners of the two dogs attempted to pry them apart.
When that failed, the owner of the puppy, who is a concealed-weapons permit holder, took out a .40-caliber handgun and shot the bull terrier. Both dogs were taken to nearby animal hospitals, and both are expected to live.
The officer works for West Valley City animal control, Wyant said, which normally handles animal-control issues for Taylorsville. Due to the conflict, Salt Lake County animal control will investigate whether the bull terrier is a threat to other dogs or people. Taylorsville police are handling the investigation, he said.
There have been discrepancies in the timeline of events and threats that may have been made during the interaction, but police have interviewed several independent witnesses, Wyant said. Charges have not been filed pending the investigation.
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