That's Just Wrong: Wild Dogs

WSVN-- It's a peaceful part of southwest Miami-Dade, where horses gallop in the fields, and people are allowed to raise farm animals.

Neighbor John Tierney:"On an average day you'll see five or six people riding on horses um right on the street."

But you could say, horse country has gone to the dogs... Wild dogs... Accused of roaming around killing neighborhood pets.

John Tierney:"They come in and kill at random."

Four of John Tierney's cats are dead, another is missing, and his dog blue is partially paralyzed after trying to protect his owner.

Neighbor Betty Marsan:"Now my biggest fear is that the dogs come and attack my children, and I don't know what they might do to them. That's why I would like for them to be picked up."

Betty Marsan lost 5 goats. But pets are one thing. Children are another. Her son Derick even had a run in with one of the dogs.

Betty's son Derick Brito:"Once I came out to get something from my car, and it jumped out at me, and now I'm really scared to come out at nighttime."

Derek was lucky he wasn't hurt. But neighbors say enough is enough. They want the dogs caught so the killing can end.

Miami-Dade Police Animal Services:"It's not really a pack of wild animals that are out there. What it is they're stray animals because people let their animals run loose, and also they drop off a lot of stray animals out there because it's just a big open area."

In fact, Miami-Dade animal control has come out in the past, but because people keep abandoning their animals, the problem continues.

On this day, we were there for the roundup. Officers searched a nearby nursery where the dogs supposedly live at night. But watch and see.. catching a dog on the loose isn't so easy.

Sgt.Charlie Daye:"Relentlessly we continue to try to catch them because it is a problem for the neighbors. But we're actually working with them, but the neighbors have to work with us also."

In the end, officers did manage to capture one dog, but they know more are out there.

Sgt.Charlie Daye:"Animals are very intelligent. They know where to go, where to hide, what to get underneath."

Neighbors believe it's only a matter of time before the animals are outwitted. They look forward to the day when all the canines are captured and they can feel safe in their own yards.

John Tierney:"I feel like once they are caught, I no longer have to look out the window every hour or two in the middle of the night and I can actually sleep."

Last year, animal control took in more than 32-thousand animals.

Contact:iamor@wsvn.com

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MIAMI-DADE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT ANIMAL SERVICES

http://www.miamidade.gov/animals/

305-884-1101