[PeteB570]

Dogs of Peace strike again

[CindyDawg]

Sad. Poor baby.

[MaryFromMichigan]

Just d*mn...

[Allegra]

Prayers up for the family of that poor boy.

[Unmarked Package]

"The boy's mother ran outside to help him, but could not get the dogs off her son."

I submit there were two fatalities in this dog attack. The mother who witnessed the death of her child in such a gruesome manner will never know life again.

[Ditter]

Tragic! I am not familiar with the street but I'll bet there are hundreds of pit bulls on Houston's east side.

[motormouth]

I cant even imagine...

God help that childs mother.

MM

[keithtoo]

The owners should be tried for manslaughter at least.

Pit Bull owners are idiots. It's like owning a rattlesnake.

[kanawa]

Neighbors told authorities they thought the dogs were strays

Stray dogs, particularly large ones, are a tragedy waiting to happen.
If the neighbors were aware of these dogs before the attack,
they had the responsibility to get them removed from the area.

There was another horrible incident just a few days ago....

"the kindergartener was found shortly after the attack, his facial features and upper body had been destroyed by the pack of at least five dogs" link

[LongElegantLegs]

There should be no law against shooting a dog running loose. Maybe then, more Texans would keep their animals confined.

[eastforker]

What in the hell is a 4 year old doing out walking with another kid in that neighborhood by themselves.

[kanawa]

Some additional info...

"Although the county has a leash ordinance to protect the public from such attacks, statistics from the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services' Veterinary Public Health show loose dogs in unincorporated areas are a persistent problem.
~
Pedro's death was the first that officials can recall in more than 20 years in unincorporated Harris County involving loose dogs.
~
More than 7,000 stray dogs were impounded last year by county field officers, who work seven days a week answering between eight to 15 loose or injured animals calls a day.

About 70 percent of dog-bite cases are blamed on dogs that are running loose, said Colleen Hodges, a spokeswoman for the county's Veterinary Public Health division. Loose dogs involved in bite cases typically have not been vaccinated and are not registered, highlighting what officials call a pet ownership problem.

"The problem is dogs running loose. We have an irresponsible-owner problem," said Hodges. "It always comes back to the owner."
-------------

Sounds like the county is doing its job but 7000 strays indicates a serious problem.