Hanover, Ohio

From the Columbus Dispatch of July 19, 2006

Woman kills neighbor’s wolves in self-defense

As an animal lover, Kathy Bryan hated to put them down.

But when the three wolves began trying to encircle her, she felt she didn’t have a choice.

She killed two of them with shotgun blasts. A deputy sheriff later tracked down and shot the third. All had escaped from a pen at a neighbor’s house.

The unusual scene played out Sunday morning at the Bryans’ home on Rock Haven Road near Hanover in Licking County.

She went to investigate when her three dogs began baying. Bryan saw a wolf with its mouth around the neck of Roo the beagle. The wolf was tugging on Roo as if he was trying to yank him off his chain.

After grabbing a shotgun, she fired a warning shot into the air. The wolf let go of Roo, but things became more ominous when all three wolves began to circle her.

"I didn’t want to do it. I was upset," Bryan said yesterday of her decision to act in selfdefense. "A wolf is dangerous. You shouldn’t even have a wolf."

The wolves were owned by Robert Pitt, who has periodically kept exotic pets. No state permit is required to own a wolf. Pitt holds permits to keep a bobcat, coyote and raccoon, according to state records.

Pitt declined to comment yesterday. According to police reports, Pitt agreed with the need to kill his wolves.

Bryan said she has expressed concerns over the years about the dangers that could be posed by animals escaping from what she called her neighbor’s "zoo."

Roo, meanwhile, was doing fine after being treated for bites to his neck and back.