Carroll Co. animal attack leaves 15 goats dead

CEDAR GROVE, Tenn. — A Carroll County family is devastated after they discover all 18 of their goats mutilated and in near-death conditions.

“It’s just horrible,” goat owner Polly Arnold said. “I had 18 goats yesterday, and now I have none, practically.”

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the mysterious attack in the Cedar Grove area that led to the death of Arnold’s 15 goats and left three more fighting for their lives.

Arnold says she has raised goats as pets on her 200-acre farm for as long as she can remember.

“I just can’t believe we’ve owned land here for 40-something years, and I can’t even have my own animals without something like this happening,” she said.

Arnold said no one saw what attacked the goats, but they’ve had problems with wild dogs on the property before.

She said they also found dog paw prints near the scene of the attack.

“If it would have been coyotes, they would have taken down one goat and eat it,” he said. “They wouldn’t have killed every single goat down there.”

Polly Arnold’s grandson said his grandmother took care of her goats like children. He said she would bottle-feed them when they were babies and even built a wheelchair for one that couldn’t walk.

“A lot of us have pets that we spoil and treat like children, and she did that to her goats,” he said. “So she just lost 18 babies.”

Wes Arnold said the attack left him concerned for other animals in the neighborhood. But unless more evidence is found, it will be hard to stop it from happening again.

“It’s really not the dogs’ fault — it’s the people who own them,” he said.  “And unfortunately we have had a few dog owners around here who have good intentions when they get their pets, but then their priorities change.”

Polly Arnold said the farm is fenced, but she thinks the animals that attacked may have jumped over it.