Owner: 'Those dogs have not ever been hit, beaten or hurt'

By Emily Sinovic KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Aug 23, 2012 at 7:44 PM PDT
Owner: 'Those dogs have not ever been hit, beaten or hurt' »Play Video
Stan Evans demonstrates for KATU News reporter Emily Sinovic Thursday how he used a shovel to separate fighting dogs. He denied beating them with it.

BEAVERTON, Ore. - The owner of pit bulls seized over animal abuse suspicions said Thursday he's been wrongfully accused.

Stan Evans is accused of using a hammer and a shovel to beat the dogs. Some of the dogs that were taken from his home Wednesday have scars or open wounds. But Evans said those injuries came from the dogs fighting with each other.

He says he misses the dogs he helped give names like "Butt Spot", "Evil" and "Psycho".

The yard where the dogs were living was filthy Thursday. Trash and feces was strewn all over the yard. But Evans said there was nothing illegal about how his dogs were cared for.

"Those dogs have not ever been hit, beaten or hurt," he said. "They might fight amongst themselves, and we try to stop that before it gets too bad."

Evans said that's all it was Wednesday – a fight between some of the pit bulls in the backyard.

In that backyard Thursday laid a hammer and the end of a shovel but Evans denied he used them to hit the animals. He demonstrated for a reporter how he used the shovel to control the dogs.

"What you do when they’re fighting is you put it between the dogs and push them away (from each other)," he said. "Our hose would not reach out there – I would have sprayed them a with hose."

But one of the neighbors who called 911 said there's no mistaking what he witnessed.

"They hit a dog with a hammer at one point," said the neighbor who said he's seen the beatings about every week for months. He also said he's seen them beat a dog in the head with a large log.

But Evans denied all that saying, "They're the loveliest dogs you'll ever want to meet. We love our dogs. We don't mistreat them."

Four people were arrested and 10 dogs were taken from them. Four of the dogs were voluntarily given to the Oregon Humane Society. Three of them will be available for adoption beginning at 3 p.m. Friday. The other dog is still undergoing a medical evaluation.

The six other dogs were seized by authorities and are being held at the Oregon Humane Society and Washington County Animal Services. Some of them are being held as evidence in the investigation.