For years, ranchers near Kinnear say they’ve watched their calves become corpses, cows abandon newborns from stress and packs of large, predatory dogs roam the pastureland.
Now, after dozens of complaints and years of escalating tensions between neighbors, criminal charges have been filed against one Fremont County woman connected to the dogs at the center of the dispute.
Court records show Kerri Johnson was charged with property destruction last week in the latest development of an escalating feud.
Earlier animal cruelty-related charges tied to the ongoing complaints were later dropped.
But ranchers living near the Johnson property say the legal fight barely scratches the surface of the last several years’ struggle.
“This is our livelihood,” rancher Chris Eberline told Cowboy State Daily. “I’ve lost at least five calves this year” to dogs.
Cowboy State Daily reached out and left messages for Kerri Johnson on numbers listed for her but did not get a response by publication.
She is being represented by defense attorney M. Jalie Meinecke, who also did not return a request for comment by publication.
‘Too Big To Be A Coyote’
An affidavit filed by the Fremont County Sheriff's Office in the latest case shows neighbors have reported repeated issues involving the Johnsons’ dogs dating back to at least 2021.
One rancher, Anna Shurtleff, told investigators she has collected more than 700 photos and videos documenting dogs allegedly roaming neighboring properties, chasing livestock and harassing cattle.
The Shurtleffs raise cattle and horses on land bordering the Johnson property southwest of Kinnear.
An affidavit written by Fremont County Sheriff’s Detective Sara Lowe shows reports from the Shurtleffs of finding dead cows and calves, along with injured livestock and cattle so stressed they stopped mothering cows on their property.
Shurtleff provided deputies with photos showing dead cattle, partially consumed carcasses, and cows with ears chewed off, according to court records.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department eventually responded to the allegations.
On March 23, Game and Fish personnel investigated a dead calf found on Eberline’s property. According to the affidavit, the carcass had been partially consumed.
“The carcass was opened to feeding on its right flank and most of the entrails and organs were consumed,” Lowe wrote.
Game and Fish investigators reportedly found no signs of injuries linked to wolves, bears, coyotes, mountain lions or bobcats.
Instead, tracks around the carcass were described as “too large to be a coyote, and too small to be a wolf.”
“The tracks were from either a domestic or feral dog,” the affidavit states.
Eberline said Game and Fish investigators later found dog hair inside the calf carcass.
“They said it was a dog kill,” Eberline said. “They’re doing it for sport because they’re only tearing the guts out and the flanks.”
She estimates the livestock losses have already cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
“To buy a bum calf is $1,300 to $1,500 a head,” she said. “If I can get them to market, that’s $2,900 a head.”
With at least five calves allegedly lost this year alone, Eberline said the financial damage adds up quickly.
'They Were Everywhere'
Eberline said the problems exploded during the winter of 2022-2023 after two livestock guardian dogs produced a large litter of puppies.
“There were 13 pups and two adults,” she said. “They were everywhere.”
According to Eberline, neighbors began reporting the dogs chasing their livestock, roaming roads and intimidating people throughout the area.
She claimed school bus drivers once refused to let children off buses because the dogs were surrounding cattle and driveways nearby.
“We had four different calves killed on that individual day,” Eberline said while describing one October 2023 incident allegedly captured on school bus cameras.
She also described another incident in which several dogs reportedly surrounded a bald eagle in the roadway.
“These dogs are smart, and they know the assignment,” Eberline said. “You start a pickup truck, you start a four-wheeler, they belly down and hide in the ditch.”
Cited Again And Again
According to court records, there have been 39 reported incidents involving the dogs between January 2021 and April 2026.
Johnson paid fines tied to “animal run at large” citations in April 2024 and again in April 2025 under Wyoming statute 11-31-301(c), which prohibits owners from allowing animals to roam freely and damage another person’s property.
Several other “animal run at large” citations filed against Johnson have been dismissed.
Court records show Johnson was cited numerous additional times between September 2025 and March 2026 on similar allegations.
A status hearing involving those cases is scheduled for Wednesday in Riverton Circuit Court.
Eberline said one of the biggest frustrations has been trying to gather enough evidence to prove the attacks.
She said ranchers were told they could not legally shoot the dogs unless they had video footage showing the animals actively attacking livestock or people.
To try documenting the incidents, Eberline said she installed multiple surveillance cameras around her ranch — a costly effort spread across roughly 1,000 acres.
“The cameras cost about $120 to $150 a camera,” she said. “I’ve got seven of them around my property.”
Then come the subscription costs needed to save the video they capture.
“You’re looking at $25 a month per camera,” she said. “I’m out a lot of money just trying to prove what’s happening.”
Even then, she said, capturing an actual attack on video remains difficult because the dogs scatter whenever vehicles start moving nearby.
‘My Faith In Humanity Is Beyond Shattered’
While neighbors accuse the dogs of terrorizing livestock and roaming the community, social media posts from Johnson paint a very different picture of livestock guardian dogs being hunted and shot.
In a February 2023 Facebook post, Johnson shared photographs of large Great Pyrenees dogs, including one named Thor, which she said was rushed to a veterinarian after being shot.
“This is Thor,” Johnson wrote. “He is at the vet right now and I don’t know if he will live or die. He was doing his job, guarding his home and flock.”
In another post, Johnson claimed another dog named Ed was “found in a field, gunned down.”
“He suffered all day with a gunshot wound to the chest,” she wrote. “My faith in humanity is beyond shattered.”
Johnson also claimed four additional dogs were missing at the time.
‘You Shoot My Dogs, I’m Shooting You’
Eberline said tensions between neighbors have grown increasingly hostile as the court fight has progressed.
Eberline said one confrontation happened after a previous court hearing.
“She looked at me and my husband and said, ‘You shoot my dogs, I’m shooting you,’” Eberline claimed.
She also claimed another relative later confronted her husband while he was building a fence near the road.
“He started threatening my husband and said, ‘I’m going to kick your ass,’” Eberline said.
Eberline described another incident in which her mother was seriously hurt after cattle became agitated during a dog encounter.
“She was used like a cheese grater against the panels,” Eberline said. “It broke every bone in her face.”
She said her mother had to be life-flighted to Denver.
Despite years of complaints, Eberline said many neighbors feel trapped between protecting their livestock and navigating complicated laws made to protect livestock guardian dogs.
“I stated in court that somebody’s going to get hurt,” said Eberline.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
