This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Police believe a dog killed a Payson family's eight pets, despite initial rumors that a knife-wielding intruder might have slaughtered the animals.

Payson Lt. Bill Wright said Thursday the Risenmay family's two goats, five chickens and one duck appear to have been killed by a dog that snuck into their enclosure. The family found the animals dead on New Year's Eve. The family also told the Humane Society that their rabbits and chickens have recently been killed.

Wright said that a police investigation indicated a dog was behind the killing, with officers finding dog footprints in the snow nearby.

The Humane Society of Utah announced Thursday that it was offering $5,000 reward for information about the killings. Representatives of the Humane Society could not be reached Thursday evening so it remained unclear if the reward was still available in light of the police conclusion about the killings.

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