New Effort To Get Loose, Stray Dogs Off South Dallas Streets
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Dallas Animal Services is launching a brand new solution to a long-time problem in South Dallas.
CBS 11 News rode along with animal control officers on the first day of their new patrol effort to sweep stray and loose dogs off the street.
The target neighborhood is in Central Oak Cliff (District 4), from Deer Path Drive to the North, Cardinal Drive to the East, Fordham Road to the South, and Easter Avenue to the West.
DAS received 83 calls for service in this area between April and September; the highest concentration for the city.
Stray dogs have long created a nuisance for residents in South Dallas, and in many occasions, a safety risk.
"You worry about being attacked. I don't even walk the neighborhood any more, I go to the gym," said Jearlean Coleman, a longtime resident in the area.
Willie Smith has pastored Bibleway Baptist Church in Oak Cliff Gardens for 40 years. On one occasion, he says strays chased him right up to the door.
"It is blight. It gives the impression that we are not concerned about the dogs. But they don't belong to us," Pastor Smith said.
The City of Dallas is looking to create a sustainable solution – not just a temporary cleanup.
Part of that effort began on Tuesday, as a team of animal services officers walked the streets in the neighborhood.
They scooped up strays where the owners were not locatable.
The officers also knocked on doors where they spotted code violations. That included dogs improperly tethered outside without food, water or shelter.
In other instances, fences weren't secure and dogs were running loose from their homes.
"We see a lot where people are sitting outside with their big dogs. No fence and a kid passes by, and gets bit," said Esteban Rodriguez, a supervising officer for DAS.
In one case, officers knocked on the door of a home where a dog was loose in the yard for the second time in recent days.
"The city ordinance is clear – your dogs need to be confined on your property," said Rodriguez.
Often times, he says, owners claim to not know the laws. To that end, officers are passing out educational material and checking to make sure animals are registered with the city.
There are a lot of resources that people may not know about, Rodriguez says.
This past weekend, DAS partnered with Dallas Companion Animal Project on a Pets For Life Event. The program provided vaccinations for nearly 300 pets free for low income families in the target area.
Families also received new collars and leashes, free first year pet registrations, free spay/neuter coupons, pet food and treats.
The first sweep will continue in the District 4 target area twice a week through November. DAS will take what it learns and apply it moving forward, taking the program to more neighborhoods on a monthly basis.
For more on City of Dallas Pet Laws, click here.
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