Pack of dogs kills Tucumcari man

A pack of roaming dogs attacked and killed a Tucumcari man as he was walking near Mesalands Community College on Wednesday night, state police said.

Five mixed-breed dogs attacked Stanley Hartt, 64, as he was walking down 11th Street near Gamble Avenue, according to a news release from New Mexico State Police, which is investigating.

Hartt died at the scene of his injuries and was pronounced dead by the Office of Medical Examiner.

NMSP will give its final report to the district attorney's office for the possible filing of charges. A state police spokesman stated in an email Friday that "no names will be released at this time" about the dogs' owners while the case was being investigated.

The attack prompted Quay County Emergency Management to issue text alerts Wednesday night through early Thursday morning, warning Tucumcari residents south of Tucumcari Boulevard and west of First Street to keep themselves and their pets indoors because of "vicious" animals in the area.

State police stated one dog was euthanized by a sheriff's deputy after the attack.

Several residents on Saturday set up a memorial for Hartt near the spot where the dogs attacked and killed him.

City Manager Paula Chacon said Friday the other four dogs identified in the attack would be kept at the city pound until NMSP completes its investigation.

Deputies from the Quay County Sheriff's Office also provided extra patrols around Tucumcari Public Schools on Thursday morning due to the attack.

Chacon said a full-time animal control officer likely would begin work sometime this week. She said Tucumcari Police had been handling animal complaints during the interim.

Mesalands also sent an email to students and staff to alert them about the dog attack.

Kathi McClelland, president of the Paws & Claws Animal Rescue of Quay County, said in an interview Friday that a pack of dogs had been roaming in Tucumcari for three or four weeks.

"That never should have happened," she said. "There were reports of dogs roaming and killing small animals for quite some time before this ever happened, and the city never did anything about it."

Chacon said police officers told her they were unaware of any pack of dogs roaming in that area of town before the attack. She said officers had picked up three roaming dogs near the Tucumcari Recreation Center -- more than 1 1/2 miles away -- before the attack.

Undersheriff Russell Shafer said Thursday he has been involved in law enforcement in Quay County since 2002, including as sheriff for eight years.

"I've never heard of a dog attack like this," he said.

Tucumcari Mayor Ralph Moya, 72, who has lived in the area most of his life, also said Thursday afternoon he could not recall a human being killed by dogs in the region.

McClelland said pet owners should be more cautious.

"If it were me walking my dog, I would assess the neighborhood before I took off with my dog," she said.

McClelland said having a dog neutered or spayed should lower the risk of violent, marauding animals. Tucumcari's only veterinarian, however, is booked weeks or months in advance for such procedures.

McClelland said Paws & Claws has been directing pet owners to a low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic in Amarillo. She said the shelter schedules a time each month for spaying or neutering animals there, and Paws & Claws will offer slots to the public if they're available and transport the animals.

"They only thing they'd have to do is pay the 40 or 50 bucks to get them done, and we'll bring them home to you," she said.

Hartt, describing himself as an aspiring writer and inventor, wrote a guest column in November for the Quay County Sun after relocating from Albuquerque in early 2021.

Hartt wrote about going for walks in town, and he extolled the community's quiet virtues.

"I think our best days are coming, and sooner than most who live here might imagine," he wrote.