In August 2015, Shauna Thompson and her family were eating at a Bear Lake restaurant with their dog, a large white Pyrenees named Lilly, in the open air, in a crowded area with lots of children and others walking around. Note: their Pyrenees is not a service animal, and also later bit another child a week after this incident, but the child's family decided to not press charges.

In the Bear Lake incident, the Thompson's dog was obviously agitated and showed signs of aggression. As you can see in this surveillance video (link: https://www.ksl.com/?sid=39610397&nid=148&title=do...), at the 7:35 mark Lilly lunges at a boy who gets too close, barking and growling at and after him for nearly 20 seconds, while he runs off scared. In spite of that warning behavior, the Thompsons decided to stay, rather than leave and prevent their obviously agitated dog from potentially harming anyone else.

Sadly, that warning proved prophetic as another child was soon after attacked by their dog. at the 29:55 mark. Two small children, one 4 years old and another 2 years old, who are simply walking by are attacked. While it is possible that the 2 year old (who was bitten and dragged underneath the table as the video shows) may have stepped on the dog's tail, such an attack is unacceptable.

After months of political wrangling, on April 28th, 2016 the Rich County Justice Court Judge Ross McKinnon found Thompson, who was representing herself, guilty of allowing a vicious animal to go at large, a class B misdemeanor. Thompson was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered the pay a $680 fine. Additionally, the judge left it up to the owner whether or not the dog will be put down or sent to a ranch to avoid another dangerous situation.

In what would appear to most as a open-and-shut case, Lilly's owner Shauna Thompson has instead challenged the notion that her dog is a menace and danger to others, going to several news agencies (see story here: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=39610397&nid=148) claiming in a recent news interview that "Lilly is a gentle, loving family dog", and starting a petition to save and keep the dog, claiming that the cut on the little boys arm was not a bite, but must have been from Lily's collar, which caught him as she merely "barked" at the boy. She is also planning to appeal the ruling,

As more of the story has emerged however, she conveniently neglected to mention that a mere week later, Lilly again attacked and bit a different child in Riverton, UT (see: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=39628880&nid=148). However, the facts speak for themselves, and as the judge ruled, this dog needs to either be put down, or kept away from the public for safety's sake.

If you agree with Rich County's decision regarding this matter, and want to help protect innocent children and others from similar vicious attacks, sign this petition to show your support for holding such dangerous animals and their owners responsible, hopefully helping prevent other similar situations from escalating into dangerous attacks.