Alpacas owned by Judy and Greg Welsh have been attacked by dogs twice in the last week. One Alpaca injured in the attack, center, had lost its ears to a previous dog encounter.
After the third attack in nearly 15 months, Judy and Greg Welsh say their alpacas have become sitting ducks.
They claim a trio of dogs have now killed eight alpacas on their small ranch just outside Centralia city limits at 1469 S. Scheuber Road. And they say the dogs are coming from a neighbor's home up the road.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office has now investigated the dogs at least twice and each time has found no evidence that the dogs killed the alpacas.
A week ago, Greg Welsh says he kicked one of the dogs as it was attacking his alpacas one early morning. Two baby alpacas that were about 9 months old died.
On Tuesday, the Welshes returned home midday from a grocery shopping trip to find the dogs attacking their alpacas again. Of the four adult alpacas that remain, two were left with bloody haunches.
C.Q., the only male breeder in the pack, was apparently castrated.
"Which makes him worthless," Greg Welsh said.
Abby, a 10-year-old alpaca who lost both ears after the attack in December 2010, was bloodied on her left rear leg.
The sheriff's office cited 50-year-old Terry M. Petrich, who lives at 1410 S. Scheuber Road, with prohibitive acts of dogs for allegedly letting at least one dog run loose, based on Greg Welsh's testimony, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.
"I know that dog by heart — I see it every day," Welsh said.
But there's nothing the sheriff's office can do about the dead alpacas without more evidence, Brown said.
Petrich could not be reached by phone. A phone number that was listed to him as recently as a couple of years ago is now listed to another person.
Judy Welsh said she and her husband are considering finding the alpacas a new home since they are defenseless on their fenced-in ranch, which the dogs seem able to encroach.
Based on the opinion of a state Department of Fish and Wildlife official, Brown said it's unlikely the alpacas were killed by wild animals since wild animals typically kill one animal and eat it.
"We do get coyotes, but they've never bothered (the alpacas)," Judy Welsh said.
Greg Welsh said the suspect dogs are a pit bull, a Rottweiller and another large dog.
The Welshes had bred their alpacas over the years and were astonished when a pair conceived last year.
"They were kind of miracle babies," Judy Welsh said of the two now deceased alpacas. "We were surprised after the attack any of them had babies."
•••
Adam Pearson: (360) 807-8208 and twitter.com/ChronicleSirens
