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Agreement could save livestock-chasing dogs First offenders would have nonlethal options Wire and staff reports SALEM -- Death row for dogs in Oregon could get a lot shorter under a tentative deal reached by Humane Society officials, veterinarians and ranchers. Some counties automatically order the destruction of dogs caught chasing livestock, even if the animals are not injured. Several Oregon cases have received national attention from dog lovers who have worked to spare impounded canines. For example, Jackson County government and animal sympathizers clashed last year over Nadas, a collie-malamute mix charged with chasing a neighbor's horse. The county in February struck a deal with Sean Roach, the dog's owner, and Roach agreed to have Nadas neutered and sent to a Utah animal sanctuary. In August, animal-rights activists claimed responsibility for breaking two death-row dogs out of the Klamath County Humane Society shelter and reportedly are giving them out-of-state sanctuary. The new proposal would stop counties from killing dogs after the first offense, regardless of whether livestock is injured. On the dog's second offense, however, counties would be allowed to put the animal down if other remedies -- such as giving up the dog for adoption -- would not solve the problem. The measure, which has not yet been introduced in the Legislature, would also subject pet owners to fines and potential liens on their property if they don't control their animals. Sen. Neil Bryant, R-Bend, said the bill he has agreed to introduce this session will be similar to what he sponsored in 1997. That bill, which failed to clear the House, would have allowed counties to offer alternatives to death for dogs caught chasing livestock for the first time. Death would have remained the penalty for dogs caught injuring or killing livestock. Bryant said this session's bill would stress the responsibilities of dog owners. "If it works as we think it should work, there should never be an animal executed," said Alan Tressider, a lobbyist representing the Humane Society. During the past year, Tressider and Dave Barrows, a lobbyist representing veterinarians, met several times with other interest groups in an attempt to hammer out consensus. Sheep and cattle ranchers say they were willing to reach a deal to defuse public support for a possible ballot measure sought by animal-rights supporters. But Robert Babcock, a Lake Oswego lawyer who frequently represents dog owners with pets scheduled for execution, said he is working on an initiative that would go beyond the tentative deal and clamp down even further on putting dogs on death row. Babcock, who heads a group called Citizens for Humane Animal Legislation, said in a news release that a new statewide initiative is necessary because counties and livestock owners will "block any attempt to achieve our goals during the legislative session." Jean Wilkerson of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association said her members have not approved the deal she helped negotiate. But she said her association is aware that urban voters will approve a stringent ballot measure if ranchers can't show some flexibility. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA