Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Dallas, NC (WNN) - Mallory Canup doesn't see her goats and cow as livestock. She sees them as family.
After long shifts as a certified surgical technologist, Canup spends her evenings feeding her animals animal crackers, cleaning their water buckets, and providing them with fresh water, grain, and hay.
Mallory Canup with one of her animals.
Mallory Canup
That routine was changed at 10:30 p.m. on January 2, 2026, when a phone call from a neighbor's daughter prompted her to run outside to her property in Dallas, NC, where the animals reside. The neighbor's daughter arrived home from dinner and noticed that Canup's goats were covered in blood.
When Canup walked outside, she saw that two large pit bulls were standing outside of her property. She soon found out the dogs jumped her fence and attacked her animals.
Canup's two goats, Brownie and Momma Goat, were killed, their throats were ripped out. Another one of her goats is fighting for her life and possibly has a hole in her trachea. Her cow Stormi suffered severe injuries to her face and ears.
Despite how brutal the attacks were and multiple prior complaints about the pitbulls from neighbors, Gaston County Animal Control Captain Kyle Yancey told Canup that there is little Animal Control can do. They deemed the pitbulls were not aggressive. Canup was also told that since her animals are considered livestock, there is no law to protect them.
Mallory Canup's Goat and Cow
Mallory Canup
Yancey also informed Canup that Animal Control is trying to change the law regarding livestock; however, Canup believes that something needs to be done more quickly and should have been done already.
"They deserve justice just like any animal does," Canup said in a video posted to Facebook. "I would consider my animals domesticated just like I would a dog or a cat. They are considered livestock, yes, but those are my pets. They're not livestock. They're my pets."
More of Canup's Animals
Mallory Canup
Canup inherited the goats from her great-uncle Roger, who passed away in June 2025. Before his passing, he told her that if anyone could love them as much as he did, it would be her. In January 2025, she took them in and looked after them every day.
Some of Canup's Goats
Mallory Canup
Brownie started off shy but grew comfortable. She was the tiniest goat and adored people; she would often try to squeeze into pockets. She lost her life in the attack.
Momma Goat gave birth to a baby, Hank, in February 2025. Due to health issues, she was unable to care for him, and he had previously lived in Canup's home before moving to her grandparents' farm. Momma goat was pregnant again, this time with two babies. Canup planned to sell them in the spring. She was also killed in the attack.
Three goats survived the attack. Their names are Curry, Kendall, and Kylie. They are described as fun to be around and are always full of personality and spunk.
One of Mallory Canup's Goats playing on a playground she made them.
Mallory Canup
Canup's cow Stormi came to live with her in August 2025 after her mother became too sick to care for her. Stormi is gentle, loves animal crackers, and enjoys scratches. Her face and ears were mutilated in the attack. Canup now dissolves pain medication in a syringe and puts it down Stormi's throat so she can find relief.
"It's been very hard on me and my family," Canup said. "We see them as our pets, as our children. Watching them suffer is completely heartbreaking."
After finding out what happened, Canup and her family went to find Stormi, who had fallen behind a fallen log while trying to hide. Once Canup and her family assessed the injuries to their animals, they began searching for a veterinarian. They called around 15 veterinary offices. Only one responded to their calls.
Morgan at Boulevard Animal Hospital in Shelby called the family back and told them she was on the way. Once she arrived, she was able to help the family treat their wounded animals to the best of her abilities.
A logo for the Boulevard Animal Hospital in Shelby, NC
Boulevard Animal Hospital
While the veterinarian treated the injured animals, the pitbulls were still roaming the neighborhood. Canup relocated her surviving animals to another location because she feared for their safety.
Paul Gaston, Canup's neighbor, said he first saw the pit bulls roaming around 10 p.m. on January 2, roughly 30 minutes before the attack happened. He immediately called the Gaston County Police, citing that the dogs were aggressive and trying to bite people; ultimately, he was afraid for his three Jack Russells and himself.
"I was bewildered and confused," Gaston said. "I explained to them these were two large unknown dogs roaming around freely in a neighborhood, and I asked if an officer could at least come out and tell the owner to secure them until Animal Control could respond the next day".
Gaston said dispatch told him no officer would be sent and that Animal Control would not respond until the following day because they didn't have a night shift. He called again to press the issue.
"I just wanted to have a police officer come out and tell them to put their dogs up until the next day, when Animal Control did come. And again, I was told no, and I was furious at that point."
According to Gaston, the dogs remained loose for nearly two hours, roaming at least five or six houses in both directions along the road, including Canup’s property. “They were still loose when Mallory realized her animals had been attacked,” he said.
A Gaston County police officer eventually arrived after the attack. Gaston said the officer spoke with neighbors, took photos of the injured and deceased animals, and talked with the dog owner.
“When he got back in his car, I asked him how bad it looked,” Gaston said. “He told me what he saw, he didn't say anything about follow ups.”
Gaston said he was especially upset to learn that no immediate response would happen even after the attack. “They said they still weren’t going to send anybody out,” he said. “What more do you need?”
The attack comes amid a rise in rabies cases in Gaston County. County officials confirmed the county’s 21st rabies case on December 23. On December 19, officials confirmed the 20th case after a dog with an expired rabies vaccination tested positive.
The 20th and 21st Rabies Cases Confirmed in Gaston County
Mallory Canup
The dogs involved in Canup’s case were cited for expired rabies vaccinations, heightening safety concerns for the neighborhood.
Canup has incurred significant expenses, including emergency veterinary care, mileage for the veterinarian, pain medication, antibiotics, seven days of treatment for the surviving animals, and the cost of relocating her herd during treatment.
She also lost potential income from the unborn goats Momma Goat was carrying.
Canup has contacted the mayor of Dallas, Haley Beatty; Gaston County Commissioner Scott Sheehan; Animal Care & Enforcement Captain Kyle Yancey; and other officials. She said Beatty and Sheehan expressed sympathy and a willingness to help, which Canup believes they did.
Canup also spoke with Dallas Township Commissioner Cathy Cloninger, who assured her she would do everything in her power to bring justice to the situation. However, Canup says that, unfortunately, none of their efforts have resulted in any consequences or justice.
Canup is advocating for Animal Control to have a night shift, noting many animal attacks happen at night.
“My hope is that I can prevent someone’s child, grandmother, grandfather, or anyone of that matter from being attacked by these dogs when it could have been prevented,” she said.
Gaston echoed her concerns. “If a small child had gone outside to get his baseball glove, what might have happened?” he said. “We must do better than this.”
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