Dogs who allegedly belonging to the pack that attacked 13-year-old Stormy Ashby. [Photo by Chriss Williams]
Amid Trinity County’s budget discussions on animal control services in September, 13-year-old Stormy Ashby became a poignant reminder of the importance of these services. On the evening of September 19, Ashby was walking alone in downtown Hayfork when a pack of dogs began following her. Dana Hauser, a Hayfork resident and business owner, heard the dogs barking followed by a “high-pitched scream.” Hauser rushed to Ashby’s aid, yelling at the dogs to back off. The pack eventually retreated, and Hauser, along with another bystander, called 911 and Ashby’s mother. They stayed with Ashby until her mother and the ambulance arrived. Ashby suffered bite wounds to her legs and reportedly hit her head during the attack.
Ashby’s mother, Shawnee Westman, who was on the phone with her daughter at the beginning of the attack recalled the terror Ashby felt, saying, “She thought she was going to die.” Animal Control officers responded the next day, removing one dog named “Foof” from the home of Hayfork resident Mae Moon. A week later, they seized eight more dogs from her residence.
Dogs Released After Quarantine
On October 10, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook press release that all the dogs had completed their quarantine. By law, their owner, Moon, was allowed to redeem them after paying fines, which she did. Information about this case, along with details from a prior incident involving Moon’s dogs, was resubmitted to the District Attorney’s Office.
Lucinda Smith, a former Hayfork resident and organizer of a spay and neuter program in the area, expressed her concern over the decision to return the dogs to Moon. Smith described the situation as a “horrible nightmare,” noting that after a previous incident, Moon’s dogs were released under strict conditions that were not met. Smith has a history of working with Moon’s dogs through her program.
Westman also voiced concerns, questioning why the dogs were returned to Moon despite their history of aggression. While her family has known Moon since moving to Hayfork in 2015, Westman emphasized that her primary concern was public safety, not personal animosity.
Moon Responds to Attack
Speaking to The Redheaded Blackbelt in the Holiday Market parking lot in Weaverville, where three of her dogs—SpitBit, Boar, and Creepy—rested after being released from quarantine under a tree, Moon shared her side of the story. Moon, who has lived in Hayfork for the past 10 years, expressed sorrow over the attack, describing Ashby’s family as “a beautiful family” who had given her dog bones from their work. She admitted she didn’t know how to approach the girl after the incident but expressed her remorse.
On the day of the attack, Moon was working inside the camper where she lives. She explained that the dogs were let out by someone living in the home next to her camper, and she only arrived after the attack had already occurred. Moon, who struggles with anxiety and issues related to food and housing insecurity, felt previously targeted by Animal Control and the spay and neuter program run by Smith. “I wasn’t intending to keep them all,” Moon explained, noting that each dog had come to her care through different circumstances, and she wanted to find good homes for them. In recent years several other dogs owned by Moon had also attacked an individual and were removed from her care, “They took my family,” she said. This time around, she was able to reclaim three of the nine dogs through a donation from a generous transient named Timothy. Regarding the criticism on social media, Moon said she felt unfairly targeted and added, “Hayfork is my favorite place in the country.”
Community Criticism of Law Enforcement
The incident has ignited a wave of discussion on local Facebook pages, with some residents questioning law enforcement’s handling of the case. According to the California Food and Agriculture Codes, an administrative hearing should be held to determine the fate of potentially dangerous or vicious dogs, but no hearing was scheduled in this case. Sheriff Tim Saxon explained to The Redheaded Blackbelt that since they could not definitively identify which dog attacked Ashby in addition to prior history of having aggressive dogs, they decided to pursue charges against Moon through the District Attorney’s Office instead. Saxon also addressed rumors, clarifying that Moon did not have any active arrest warrants at the time of the attack nor at the date of this publication.
Westman expressed frustration with the way the situation was handled, particularly noting the poor communication between her family and law enforcement. She pointed out that the Animal Control Officer who took her daughter’s report at the hospital failed to take photos of her daughter’s injuries, which Saxon confirmed was proper procedure. Westman also collected several witness statements herself. Saxon in his interview with The Redheaded Blackbelt said “we won’t have any further information on the case to give to the victim’s family until we know what the DAs Office is going to do. We do not normally provide updates to the subjects of criminal investigations. That would be the job of their attorney should the person be charged with a crime.”
The Redheaded Blackbelt has reached out to Animal Control Officer Merrit for further comment but had not received word by time of publication.
As the community continues to weigh in on how the case was managed, Ashby is recovering well and the debate over animal control procedures in Trinity County remains ongoing.
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