State of Washington v. Tiffany R. Denney

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMarch 11, 2025
Docket39696-7
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of Washington v. Tiffany R. Denney (State of Washington v. Tiffany R. Denney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Washington v. Tiffany R. Denney, (Wash. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

FILED MARCH 11, 2025 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION THREE

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) ) No. 39696-7-III Respondent, ) ) v. ) ) TIFFANY R. DENNEY, ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) Appellant. )

STAAB, A.C.J. — After Tiffany Denney’s dog attacked and injured a Whitman

County Sherriff’s Deputy, a jury convicted her of “owning a dog that attacks,” in

violation of RCW 16.08.100. On appeal, she contends (1) the State’s evidence was

insufficient to convict, and (2) Washington’s dangerous dog statutes are

unconstitutionally vague, both facially and as applied. We disagree and affirm.

BACKGROUND

Tiffany Denney lives in rural Endicott, Washington. Denney’s property consists

of a single-story house, surrounded by a chain link fence that is between three and five

feet tall with a gate that closes with a latch. Denney owned multiple dogs, including a

five-year-old pit bull mixed breed, which Denney had raised since it was a puppy. No. 39696-7-III State v. Denney

On September 9, 2022, a Whitman County Sheriff’s Deputy and Sergeant were

dispatched to Denney’s home for a nonemergency welfare check. When they arrived,

Deputy Amy Pilloud observed a small dog in the front yard. She hesitated to enter the

fenced area because of the dog, but after it approached her, sniffed her fingers, and

appeared friendly, she decided to enter through the gate and knock on the front door of

the house.

Deputy Pilloud made it a few steps into the yard when she “heard a loud bark,

growl from the back of the house.” Rep. of Proc. (RP) at 118. She turned to the side of

the house and saw a different dog running toward her at full speed. The dog lunged at

her, hitting her in the chest. As she scrambled to get away, the dog bit her arm and leg as

she tried to exit the gate.

As the Sergeant applied a tourniquet to Deputy Pilloud’s arm, Denney came out of

the house, tried calling her dog off, and asked the officers, “[d]id she bite you?” RP at

124.

Deputy Pilloud was taken to the hospital, where she was treated with five sutures

for lacerations near her elbow. She had bite marks on her arm, punctures and abrasions

on her leg, and some scratches and bruising on her face.

Later that day, the Undersheriff went to Denney’s house to investigate the attack

and whether the dog was vaccinated for rabies. The Undersheriff’s body camera

2 No. 39696-7-III State v. Denney

recorded his interview with Denney. During the interview the following exchange

occurred:

UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: And so where have you been getting her vaccinations at? MS. DENNEY: So we went to [a veterinarian] and they couldn’t do anything because she—they muzzled her and they still couldn’t get near her. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: What do you mean? Why—was she— [INAUDIBLE] wouldn’t let them give her a shot? MS. DENNEY: They couldn’t even get near her. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. Is that something—is she— MS. DENNEY: She’s terrified of people. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: She’s terrified of people, okay. MS. DENNEY: She’s been in this yard and never gone anywhere but the vet’s and that’s it. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. So, like, how does she— MS. DENNEY: We’ve never walked her, nothing. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. How does she present to the vets? I mean—oh, you muzzled her so she must try to bite people. MS. DENNEY: She—if she leaves this yard, she is terrified. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. Got it. MS. DENNEY: Yeah, she does not like leaving her yard. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. Has she ever bit anybody else that you know of or been, like, scare people or been aggressive toward them or anything? MS. DENNEY: No. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: No. Like none of your neighbors— MS. DENNEY: They—so they do— UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: —if I talk to them? MS. DENNEY: —like if they’re outside of the fence, yes, they are terrified of her. But usually once I get people in, she does just fine. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: What do you mean once you get people in? MS. DENNEY: Like she has to—I have to show her that people are okay. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. And so how do you keep her away from people until you shown they’re okay?

3 No. 39696-7-III State v. Denney

MS. DENNEY: Most of the time people don’t come in our yard. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Oh, okay. Don’t you have friends come over or anything like that? MS. DENNEY: I do. I have two sets of friends and once I get them into our yard, they’re fine with her. And she’s a sweetie once you’re in our yard and— UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Yeah, but how do you keep her away from the people until you figure out? MS. DENNEY: Most people just don’t come in our yard. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Yeah, but you said you do, sometimes. So how does that work? Like if I came in to come talk to you, where would the dog be to acclimate? MS. DENNEY: No normally what I do is I put her in the house. Once you’re in the yard I’ll let her out and meet you—let her meet you. And normally she’ll do just fine. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Normally. What happens sometimes? MS. DENNEY: Never had a—otherwise. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. And today—today was she just out running around in here? MS. DENNEY: Umm-hmm. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Is that the idea? Okay. MS. DENNEY: I don’t know even why they were here to begin with. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. MS. DENNEY: I didn’t know anything happened until I came out and it already happened. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Okay. Got it. So [the veterinarian], who—where’s [the veterinarian] out of? MS. DENNEY: Palouse. UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Palouse. Did you use to live in Palouse? MS. DENNEY: Nope. They were the only ones I found that would take aggressive dogs. She went in because she—her ears were swollen and red— UNDERSHERIFF CHAPMAN: Right. MS. DENNEY: —and she had this big rash on her stomach. And so they—the closest they could get is, like, from me to the fence and they just kind of glanced at her and said it was a food allergy and that was it.

RP at 148-51.

4 No. 39696-7-III State v. Denney

The State charged Denney with one count of owning a dog that attacks, a class C

felony. The case proceeded to a jury trial.

The jury was instructed that to convict, the State had to prove beyond a reasonable

doubt that (1) Denney “owned a dog that aggressively attacked and caused severe injury

to [the deputy];” (2) “at the time of the attack, [Denney] knew or should have known that

the dog was potentially dangerous;” and (3) that the act “occurred in the state of

Washington.” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 16.

Consistent with RCW 16.08.070(1), the jury was instructed that “potentially

dangerous dog” means

any dog that when unprovoked: (a) Inflicts bites on a human or a domestic animal either on public or private property, or (b) chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, or any dog with a known propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury, or to cause injury or otherwise to threaten the safety of humans or domestic animals.

Compare CP at 18 with RCW 16.08.070(1).

The jury found Denney guilty and the court sentenced her to serve 30 days in jail.

Denney timely appeals.

ANALYSIS

1. SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE

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