Alpaca killed, 2 animals injured in alleged dog attack at Colorado animal sanctuary

Creative Acres Animal Sanctuary specializes in giving a second lease on life. Maxine Mager, the founder and president of the Colorado sanctuary, has been taking care of animals no one wants for more than 40 years.

She takes in sick animals, neglected animals, and animals with behavioral problems and rehabilitates them on her fenced property near Hudson. But now officials are investigating an attack that left one of her alpacas dead and two other animals injured.

"I started doing this because I just loved animals. I continue to because we're the only one that does it," Mager said.

For her, it's all about giving her animals the kind of life she thinks they deserve.

"'Quality of life' means that we worry about the mental and the physical. 'No kill' means we literally don't kill them," Mager said.

But Friday morning, her dogs alerted her that something wasn't right. Mager left her home to check on the commotion.

"I see this big old bushy thing, and I know it's a dog. It was a German shepherd," she said.

She says two of her neighbors' dogs were roaming free and somehow got into her yard. She chased one off, but the other one had already done damage.

"I noticed the other one was in my pen, where the- some of the farm animals were, and it was over my alpaca," Mager said.

The alpaca was dead. She found another one badly injured, and her Shetland pony had also been attacked.

Mager says it was a huge emotional hit.

"I'm very sad," she said. "I've cried for days."

She says it will be a financial hit, too. She had to call an emergency vet, who she says cost her $3,000. By the time all is said and done, she thinks she may owe tens of thousands of dollars. Working on a razor-thin budget, she says she isn't sure how she'll pay for it.

Adams County Animal Control officers found the dogs and impounded them. Mager says she doesn't hold them responsible, but she does think her neighbors should be.

"I'm not mad at the dogs because they weren't trained not to do that. I mean, we've gotten dogs in that chase cats. They're trained not to now. You have to train your animals, or you have to keep them contained," Mager said. "They're the ones that are responsible. We need to have a new law called 'Dangerous Owners.'"

Mager started a fundraiser to help pay for the vet bills and other costs.