Two Reindeer Slayed By Dogs In Nebraska Holiday Bloodbath

In a holiday season massacre, a baby reindeer was killed while an older reindeer had to be euthanized after the animals were attacked last week by dogs who invaded pens where the animals were kept by a Nebraska man who rents reindeer out for tree lightings and Christmas parties.

The slaughter of the reindeer--an eight-month-old and a seven-year-old named “Candy”--is detailed in a Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office report excerpted here. As first reported by Cory Matteson in the Lincoln Journal Star, the reindeer were attacked last Wednesday by two Huskies (“Shasta” and “Lobo”) whose owner reported that the dogs went missing a day earlier.

The owner of the Huskies, Janeth Hernandez, 21, was “cited for Dog at Large,” according to the sheriff’s report. The owner of the late reindeer, Rod Gross, told deputies that he purchased the baby reindeer late last month for $3500. He said it would cost a similar amount to replace “Candy.”