Dayton police responded, but lost the dogs in the nearby woods apparently.
Montgomery County told 2 NEWS police called animal control for help, but animal control officers were too busy to respond immediately.
A man who was doing landscaping work on VA property said he did not see an attack, but did witness the dogs approach the man.
Tommy Thacker said, "Sounded like two dogs off in the distance and then in a matter of ten to 15 minutes like I said when that guy was cleaning the streets they just ran up on him and started barking and stuff."
Thacker said because the worker stood his ground and did not take off and that probably saved him from a bite.
When 2 NEWS arrived in the area of U.S. Route 35 and Liscum Avenue just after 10 a.m. nothing stood out, but then a concerned neighbor pointed to two dogs running in and out of traffic.
They almost got hit and then they disappeared.
People living in the West Dayton neighborhood near U.S. 35 told 2 NEWS the stray dogs have been a problem for some time.
Adolphe Grigsby said, "I guess they crawl up under the fence and they just chase after you, attack you, and bark, growl at you, and you don't know if they're going to bite you or not."
He worries about the children who play outside and his mother.
"I always carry me a stick with a little nail stuck in it for protection because I have to walk everyday up and down here and my mother she can't, she'll never get away from them. She's 89 years old," Grigsby said.
Grigsby told 2 NEWS he's not complained to any official. He'll simply take matters into his own hands if attacked. His mother feels more vulnerable, however. She points to the high grass in the neighborhood, places where the dogs can hide.
Montgomery County says Dayton police officers called animal control for help with this situation, but animal control officers were so busy they could not respond immediately.
Montgomery County says last year animal control responded to 10,460 calls.
The calls were not all for help with stray dogs, but with that kind of workload you can see what a challenge it is to protect residents from threatening situations like the one today.
If you have concerns about strays in your neighborhood you can call this number 937-898-4457.
The Dayton VAMC said no one was harmed.
(wdtn - June 7, 2013)
