Thursday, May 25, 2017


On April 25th,, it was a night of blood, gnashing teeth and fear at a farm just outside of Yankton.

Lisa Brasel says two dogs went wild killing and injuring her animals. Brasel rushed to a pen where two dogs killed 30 chickens and attacked 3 of her miniature ponies.

“I shot one of the dogs and the other ran off,” she said.

Once the threat was over reality set in and Lisa says her heart sank.

“At first I couldn’t find Oakley. I found him inside the shed. He was hiding in the corner and he was really bad, he was coated in blood, and his face was hanging off him and Haley’s nose was hanging off.”

Lisa says the only word she can think of to describe that night was a massacre. She knew she had to act fast to save Haley, Oakley and Blessing.

“They were in shock they were trying to lay down, and I knew if they laid down they were going to die.”

They rushed the horses to Carlson Veterinary Hospital in Sioux City.

“When we got to Sioux City he had the stall heaters going he had IV’s ready for them. He was all set for them. He saved their lives,” said Brasel.

The ponies are on the mend, but part of the nightmare continues, and a different kind of danger looms over Lisa and her ponies. She says she received death threats from 5 different people.  "They were upset that I killed one of their dogs, I would never have touched that dog if it wasn't killing my animals." 

And it’s not as if Lisa isn’t schooled in when a dog can be a danger, or not, she’s actually an animal control officer for the city of Yankton.

“I deal with lots of different types of dogs but I know when dogs are pack hunting like those two that’s the most dangerous kind there is. You don’t mess with them.”

In fact Lisa is a dog lover, just ask Willow who was getting attention during our interview. Friend Tiffany Kyte says she has watched Lisa go the extra mile to find a home for an abandoned pit bull.

“She's an awesome person, her heart is totally mush when it comes to animals,” said Kyte.
That heart was doubly mush about Oakley. This little guy has already seen enough tragedy in his life. He was rescued from the flooding in Louisiana. Some ponies didn’t make it that day, including his mother.

“He has to be saved from a flood to come to South Dakota to be attacked by dogs, said Brasel. “That is not the life I wanted for him, he is supposed to be at rest here. He has scars but we can handle scars, we are just glad he didn’t die.”

Brasel wants the owners of the dogs to pay for the vet bills. But because of the death threats she realizes that won’t happen. So, a go fund me page has been set up by some of her friends. The money will be used to pay the vet bills and the expenses she is still racking up as the ponies mend.

Click here for the GoFundMe page.


Anonymous said...

It's odd how the breed of the attacking dogs weren't mentioned.

I'm willing to bet that the dogs were pit bulls. The death threats from the owner says it all. Pit bull owners are all about death. They let their maulers go on killing sprees, then threaten to kill the victim. Classy people!

Thank you legislators! Keep our ineffective laws in place to allow deranged people the ability to commit death by pit bulls. We should all be so lucky to get mauled and attacked by sacred pit bulls. I thought we lived in a civilized society, but I guess I was wrong.

Anonymous said...

Two dogs attacked 33 animals on this lady's property, killing 30, severely injuring 3 who require expensive veterinary care but the negligent dog owners threaten her life because a single animal of theirs was killed in the defense of its victims. The dogs' breed isn't mentioned in the article text (didn't watch video) but by owner behavior alone I am guessing pit bulls. If they cared so much for the dogs, they would have kept them safely confined for their own good.No one who cares about their dogs lets them stray like that.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous#2 again, had a chance to watch the video - they were pit bulls. The miniature horses' owner, who is also an animal control officer, mentioned in the video interview that the attacking dogs were pit bulls. She also expressed regret at the dog's death which she said said was only in defense. I have noticed in a number of pit bulls attack stories, the dog's breed will be identified in the video but not in the text of the story which appears online and certainly not in the headline.

Dayna Hamilton said...

Ok, so no money from the dog owners for vet bills... What about some jail time for the death threats???!!! And why is it that the softies who are soooo sorry for shooting the attacking pibbles are the ones that get threatened?

Anonymous said...

Anon 1 here,

I did not watch the video. It's amazing how the text articles are careful not to mention the breed. Text articles are more readily searchable, so it does seem deliberate that the breed is not mentioned.

All in the name of protecting the reputation of pit bulls. We need more farm animal massacres at the jaws of pit bulls because they are lovely, safe, adoring pets.