Stray dog ​​attacks in Houston: Terrified by violent animal packs, Maryland residents seek help from the city

Houston, Texas (KTRK) – Maryland residents told ABC13 they were terrorized by packs of dogs, and they couldn’t get the city to stop them.

Jerry Bell lives on Braeswood Boulevard, where there are reports of six dog-related incidents requiring a response from BARC, the City of Houston Municipal Animal Shelter, from October 2022 to May 2023.

Bell shared doorbell security camera footage with ABC13 that caught a pack of dogs killing a cat in his path.

“Just hit it,” he explained.

Near Cheena Drive, there were 11 reported incidents in the same time frame, Creekbend Drive had 13. Documentation shows that some of those incidents were human bites.

Bill uses a walker, and his wife uses a wheelchair. The couple will likely struggle to get away from the dogs if necessary. This is something their daughter, who is also their carer, said she was worried about. Their daughter asked ABC13 not to give her name.

“I help disabled people, and when it takes time to get into the car, I’m afraid these dogs are going to get on the driveway,” she said.

She said she’s called the city at least 10 times since the package first appeared in the family’s yard last summer.

“It’s a human safety issue,” she said.

City data shows there have been approximately 2,560 dog bites in Houston each year since 2018. From 2021 to 2022, stray pickup trucks jumped nearly 30%.

This month, the US Postal Service released its annual report on dog attacks. The city ranked #1 in 2017-2020, #2 in 2021, and again, topped the list in 2022 with 57 bites.

“I think they need to do something, like hire more officers,” Bell’s daughter said. “This is very scary.”

BARC currently has four short officers. It has a budget about half that of San Antonio. As of July 1, 2022, the United States Census Bureau estimates the population of San Antonio to be 1,472,909 and Houston to be 2,302,878.

In a statement, a BARC spokesperson said the entity “has limited resources and responds to requests for service based on the severity of the situation, which is why we prioritize our calls. We will always answer requests that involve human/animal interaction first and foremost (dog bite, dog attack, A dog that is aggressive towards people). We also respond to animal cruelty and animal injury.”

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