PARTS OF DALLAS GONE TO THE DOGS

A South Dallas woman’s fatal mauling by a pack of dogs earlier this month was shocking to all. But for many, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

In parts of this city, mostly in the south, the threat from dogs is as common as the sight of burglar bars and weed-choked vacant lots. Dogs trot down the middle of streets, eyeball strangers, bloody each other during scuffles – and occasionally clash with humans.

“Getting bit here is like getting shot in the projects,” said Rodney Choice, who lives in East Oak Cliff.

Choice, who has never been bitten, said he doesn’t live in fear. But he does take the danger seriously enough to keeps bricks and sticks stashed around his yard for protection. Others in neighborhoods with the worst dog problems carry sticks or golf clubs while on walks or pack a knife for protection.

For Antoinette Brown, safety took the form of a vacant house rather than a weapon. Shewas just steps away from climbing through a window May 2 when dogs attacked and bit her more than 100 times. The 52-year-old died a week later.

Police believed the dogs lived at a house where neighbors had called at least 11 times to complain about loose or threatening dogs. The owners previously surrendered their problem dogs, only to get more.

Brown’s case is the most recent tragedy but just a hint of the problems that extend far beyond that empty house on Rutledge Street in the Fair Park area, a mix of strays and dogs left uncontrolled by their owners.

“Fifty percent is stray and the other 50 percent is people who don’t give a damn,” Choice said.

Pets break their chains or escape through poorly maintained fences, while strays – especially those that avoid human contact – thrive in vacant lots, boarded-up homes or alleyways overgrown with grass. Many wander mostly at night, during early mornings or in midday hours when people are at work.

In southeast Dallas, Luz Maria Rios and her Yorkie were attacked by two dogs that got loose and charged her on a neighbor’s doorstep. In West Oak Cliff, an 88-year-old woman was bitten on the leg while walking home from a neighbor’s house in February. And not far away, Karina Padilla said her aunt, who is in her 70s and has diabetes, was bitten by a neighbor’s frequently loose pit bull while in town on a visit from Mexico.

Luz Maria Rios shows stitches on her left arm received after being attacked by two dogs while walking her Yorkie. She was injured on her left arm and leg. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

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