A family in Colorado finds themselves overwhelmed with medical expenses after a neighbor’s police dog escaped and viciously attacked their young daughter.
The Dean family was joyfully celebrating their twin daughters’ birthdays on August 11, 2024, in their backyard in Castle Rock, when a large black dog unexpectedly leaped over the fence and set its sights on their two-year-old, Lily.
This aggressive canine, named Ragnar, belonged to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and resided next door with Deputy Zachary Oliver, its handler. Recalling the terrifying moment, Lily’s father, Nick, shared with CBS News that he noticed the imminent danger and acted swiftly to shield his family and the gathered guests.
“I was on our upper porch when I saw the dog. I dashed down the stairs but reached just as it had already attacked Lily, dragging her across our backyard lawn,” Nick recounted to the news outlet.
Lindsey Speer, a family friend who attended the party, described the harrowing scene to FOX31, saying the dog took hold of the little girl’s leg and violently shook her as if she were a rag doll.
From then on, Nick said three male party attendees piled onto the dog in an attempt to stop the vicious attack.
‘When I was wrestling the dog, I could hear the cracking of her femur bone,’ Nick recalled to CBS News.
Lily’s father was also maimed while trying to save her, leaving them both with severe injuries that they say continue to affect them two years later.
GoFundMe photo of Nick and Bethany Dean and their twins, Lily and Ollie
Lily Dean is treated after the brutal dog attack that occurred back in August 2024
The dog, Ragnar, was a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department K-9 who lived next door with his handler, Deputy Zachary Oliver
A GoFundMe set up by the family to cover their mounting medical bills said Lily suffered deep lacerations across her stomach, along with a punctured femur.
Nick sustained injuries to his chest, neck, back and hip and continues to struggle with PTSD and other lasting psychological effects, per the fundraiser.
‘It’s just the combination of not feeling strong enough to protect my family, and the pain,’ Nick said.
‘The chronic pain is like having an operating system going on in the background that just never shuts off, and it’s tiring,’ he added.
Prosecutors charged Oliver, but a jury cleared him after his lawyers argued his county contract protected him from criminal liability.
Oliver has since left the sheriff’s office, while the K-9 was retired from duty. The Deans said the dog and its handler moved away from the neighborhood nine months after the incident.
The family also hoped the county would help cover their medical costs, but the family says they are now saddled with $300,000 in debt.
Nick sustained severe injuries and continues to struggle with PTSD
Photo posted on August 23, 2026,of Nick and Bethany Dean and their twins, Lily and Ollie, after Nick and Lily survived an attack by a police dog
A 2023 photo of Zach Oliver and his dog Ragnar
Lily and Ollie’s party prior to the attack
‘When the criminal proceedings turned into nothing, we thought, well, of course, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is going to do what’s right by our family,’ Nick told the outlet.
A Jefferson County attorney told the Deans’ lawyer that the county does not use taxpayer money to cover claims when it has no legal liability.
The family’s GoFundMe had surpassed $67,000 in donations as of Monday.