Pit bull on death row is stolen from animal shelter

Newport, OR -- A pit bull scheduled to be euthanized next week was illegally removed from the Lincoln County Animal Shelter Tuesday afternoon.

This dog, named "Angel," was to be put to death by order of Lincoln County Dog Judge Rob Bovett following a hearing on May 10. The hearing actually involved two pit bulls, both owned by Donna Lovato of 441 NW Hurbert Street in Newport. The other pit bull is still under quarantine at the animal shelter.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, an animal shelter official contacted the Lincoln County Communications Agency (LinCom) to say that Angel had been stolen within the past 10 minutes. The dog was described as a female pit bull, white and tan in color, wearing a red collar.

About a half hour later, LinCom received a call saying the pit bull was seen outside its home on NW Hurbert Street. Two residents of that neighborhood say they are sure the dog they saw in the yard about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon was Angel.

One of these witnesses was Marletta Noe. Noe and her small dog were walking on a street near Lovato's residence on April 27 when the two pit bulls charged across the street, and one of the dogs severely bit both Noe and her dog.

That was the reason for the dog hearing held by Bovett last week. Although there was a dispute over which of the pit bulls actually did the biting, Bovett issued an order May 11 to have both dogs euthanized. However, the younger dog, a one-year-old male named Lance, would be allowed to live if a new home could be found for him - one having no connection with the present owner.

There was no such consideration given to the female pit bull. Angel was already on five years probation stemming from a biting incident last August, and she has a history of aggression. Bovett ordered her euthanized on or after Monday, May 23.

But as of press time on Thursday, Angel's whereabouts were still unknown. Newport police officers are continuing to investigate the theft of this dog from the animal shelter, and anyone who sees Angel is asked to call either 9-1-1 or the LinCom business office at 265-4231 so that the dog can be picked up.

Lincoln County Sheriff Dennis Dotson said the kennel where Angel was being kept at the shelter was well secured. "There was some type of a clasp on the latch. Somebody had to have done it...had to remove the thing for the dog to get out."

It is suspected that the person who took the dog entered the animal shelter through an unsecured, back door. When personnel from the animal shelter walked into the area where Angel should have been, they noticed the door to her cage was open about eight to 10 inches, and the dog was nowhere to be seen.

Lincoln County Animal Control Officer Jackie Beckstead was off duty by the time the theft report came in on Tuesday. But early Wednesday morning, she and two Newport police officers showed up at the Lovato residence. They were allowed to inspect the house, inside and out, but there was no sign of Angel.

Lovato said she has no idea where her dog is, and she did not know it had been removed from the shelter until authorities showed up on her doorstep Wednesday morning. She told the News-Times she had been at the Corvallis hospital all day Tuesday because a family member was undergoing surgery. They did not return home until after midnight.

Lovato said she hadn't even been to the shelter to visit Angel, because seeing her dog would be too difficult knowing it was to be put down. Lovato said there would be no reason to try to hide the dog from the authorities. "I can't keep her, and I don't think anybody else can control her. It's just heartbreaking," she said.

At last week's dog hearing, Lovato agreed that Angel should be euthanized. She had hoped, however, that "Lance" would be given another chance and allowed to stay in her home. "It disturbs me that Lance is on death row for being a bystander to Angel," she said this week.

Lovato also said she has information as to who might be responsible for stealing Angel from the animal shelter. That information has been passed on to police, but no arrest had been made and no additional sightings of Angel had occurred as of late Thursday afternoon.

Dotson said if the person responsible for taking the dog is caught, that person will be subject to charges of theft and criminal trespass.

Dotson also said this incident will likely result in a review of procedures at the animal shelter. Although the doors have generally been kept unlocked during business hours, "we will probably have to revisit security measures," he said.