Fences and "No trespassing" signs have proliferated in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., as residents have moved to block out meddlesome media and gawky sightseers in recent years. Now there is a new kind of warning in this polygamous community at the Utah/Arizona state line "Beware of Pit Bull."
Yep, pit bull, not just any dog, but one with a reputation for having a bad attitude and mean bite. Salt Lake Tribune photographer Trent Nelson and I spotted this particular sign last week in Hildale. And we laughed.
There are no dogs in Hildale or Colorado City. FLDS leader Warren Jeffs banned them a few years ago after the tragic death of a 2-year-old boy who was killed by his family's dog, which some say was a pit bull.
A day later, an order went out that there were to be no dogs in town. If families couldn't bear putting their own dogs to death, a crew headed by Dee Jessop would do it for them.
"They killed every dog in town," says Isaac Wyler, an ex-FLDS member who still lives in
the community. As for the sign spotted on Paul Holm's house? "That's for the reporters," Wyler said. "That got put up about six months ago."Every one in town gets a chuckle out of it...
What does that
mean, "gets a
chuckle?" Every
one in town thinks
it's funny that all
the dogs were
killed, due to some
assholes whim?
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2 comments:
man's best friend -- heartless sicko scumbags all of them.
Not everyone supported this order. Many people were very distressed by it, and not everyone had to have their dogs put down. Some dogs were still allowed for working purposes (guarding certain church or business properties, animal herding, police dogs). Some people continued to keep dogs, but they were constantly in fear of their dog getting out (or being let out). Stray dogs would be picked up by police and put in the pound where they would be euthanized if their ridiculously high fees were not paid.
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