By Shannon Lukens. (Courtesy photos)
Wolves have attacked two dogs in Jackson County this week. One working ranch dog was killed by the wolves. The injuries on the other dog were so bad that it had to be put down. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the depredation events occurred within four miles of each other, in the North Park area.
Greg Sykes is a foreman on a ranch in Jackson County. His dog Cisco (on the left of the horse) was a registered border collie that he’d had for seven years as his livestock working dog.
“Best hired man I ever had.”
Sykes says it happened at 4 a.m. Monday morning, March 13, when he let the dogs out. Cisco didn’t come back but his Livestock Guardian Dogs did.
“I found him dead 30 yards from the house. Called CPW and they came out and confirmed it was a wolf kill. Two collared wolves that were at my house at 4 a.m.”
The next day, Roy Gollobith had his pet dog, Blaze, attacked by the wolves.
“I saw my dog, Blaze, standing out there with his head down. I called him and he just kind of turned around and gave me this glazed look at me. And then I seen the blood on his throat there. It’s pretty white there on his chest and it was pretty bloody and I said, ‘What the hell?’ and he was pretty tore up.”
Gollobith says Colorado Parks and Wildlife came out to his house.
“I mean there was tracks between my house and garage, probably not even ten feet from my house, so we’re pretty sure there was two of them here.”
Roy said his wife took Blaze to the vet in Laramie and they had to put the dog down because of its injuries.
Travis Duncan with Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells Steamboat Radio News, “Wildlife officers found wolf tracks in the vicinity and GPS collar data for both incidents that also indicated wolves were in the area during the time the dogs were attacked.”
There is a meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight, March 15, in Craig at the Moffat County Pavilion at the Fairgrounds, and then another meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday night at the Wattenburg Center in Walden, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, to specifically discuss the 10J Rule which is lethal management. The meetings are open to the public. Anyone can attend.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife is also accepting public comments through April 18. Comments can be submitted through www.regulations.gov The docket number to search is FWS-R6-ES-2022-0100.
Here’s Greg Sykes again.
“I’m going to do everything I can to throw gasoline on this because I’ve been trying to be that guy that says. ‘OK they’re here, let’s figure out how to live with them.’ But now they’ve tied my hands. If I would have went out and found this happening, I guarantee the conversation we would be having would be through a pre-paid phone card, because I would have killed the wolves. Something has to be done.”
Travis Duncan added: “Please see CPW’s handout Keeping your pets safe where wolves are present for tips for Colorado residents and landowners living in areas with wolves. CPW’s Wolf Educational Resources page has more information on living with wolves.”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Meeting Details
10J RULE MEETINGS WITH REGARDS TO WOLVES SCHEDULED FOR NW COLORADO BY US FISH AND WILDLIFE