Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Residents: Pit bulls terrorizing Orlando community

FLORIDA -- People in one Orlando community say pit bulls are terrorizing their neighborhood, which sits between Silver Star Road and Orange Blossom Trail.


Despite their concerns, residents feel the county isn't doing enough to keep them safe. Stacy Scovanner said she and her neighbors are afraid to walk outside.

"You're kind of trapped in your house. Every single one of us in this neighborhood is trapped in their house," Scovanner said.


Scovanner snapped photos of their neighbor's pit bull, Chopper, wandering the streets last month on the same day he allegedly aggressively lunged at an Animal Services employee and less than a week after the dog reportedly bit someone on the arm. Animal Services ordered Chopper be quarantined at home for 10 days.

"The dog is very aggressive to every single one of us out here," Scovanner said. "He needs to get control of his animals is what needs to happen."


Neighbors said the dog escapes through a hole in this fence, which Animal Services has been asking the owner to fix since August.

When WESH 2 News was at the home, reporters saw one of the owner's other pit bulls, Crazy, roaming around without a leash.


Since July, Orange County Animal Services has visited the home 17 times and issued nine citations, six for allowing the dog to get loose. The owner has been fined almost $1,100. It's unclear whether those fines have been paid.

Nobody was at the home when WESH 2 News knocked on the door and phone calls to the owner weren't returned.


"No one's enforcing and we need someone to enforce," Scovanner said.

A spokeswoman from Animal Services originally agreed to an interview, but then backed out telling us in an email that officials have "diligently handled issues in this neighborhood."



But neighbors disagree.

"We keep saying what's it going to take, someone dying? A kid getting bit? And I'm not going to let that happen to my 5-year-old," Scovanner said.

(WESH Orlando - Feb 18, 2014)

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