NEW MEXICO -- Local residents say that loose dogs and stray dogs are still attacking, and killing, their pets around Las Cruces despite law enforcement's recent efforts to crack down on vicious dog owners and prevent new attacks.
Jasmine Gonzalez, a Doña Ana County resident who lives near the Pueblo Trail neighborhood just east of Las Cruces, said a pit bull fatally mauled her 1-year-old Chihuahua, named Max, in a neighbor's backyard on June 4.
"My little dog couldn't run. The pit bull just grabbed him by the neck and killed him," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez' neighbor, Geri Iturralde, said she and her two children, ages 3 and 8, saw the attack.
"He mauled that little Chihuahua horribly. That little dog bled out so quick," said Iturralde, who added that the large pit bull mix has been recently wandering about the neighborhood, growling and threatening at residents.
"He's very intimidating. He's humongous," Iturralde said.
The neighbors believe the pit bull belongs to a resident in the area, but animal control officials have not determined that anybody owns the dog, said Kelly Jameson, a spokeswoman for the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office.
Jameson said county animal control officers have placed the neighborhood on a waiting list for a trap.
"When (the trap) becomes available, hopefully it will catch this stray dog that the neighbors say is there," Jameson said.
Jameson said she did not have information that a trap had already been set in the neighborhood, but Iturralde said animal control officers recently set the cage trap outside her house, which she said does not appear to be working.
"This pit bull has been chased around so much that he knows what that cage is. He's not dumb. He doesn't go in there," Iturralde said.
A recent string of dog attacks in the Las Cruces area recently prompted Doña Ana County animal control officers to adopt a stricter approach in enforcing a state law that requires owners of aggressive dogs to get permits.
Recent attacks include a May 23 incident where two loose pit bulls attacked a Las Cruces man while he was walking his dog on Doña Ana Road. The man shot both dogs, which were later captured by animal control officers.
On May 29, an unleashed Newfoundland bit an electrician who was working at University Hills Elementary School. The man's injuries were not said to be serious.
County animal control officers are now instructed to issue citations, and even arrest dog owners who refuse to comply with state law, instead of giving them a chance to get into compliance.
For stray animals that threaten and attack people and pets, the officers try to catch them in traps.
"We do that for any animal that can potentially be a threat," Jameson said.
In Las Cruces, Eddie Martinez, who lives on the 1000 block of East Court Avenue, said a neighbor's pit bull broke into his backyard this past weekend and killed his 10-year-old female Chihuahua, named Paris.
"The hardest thing I had to do was tell my daughter. Oh my God, was she devastated. I've never seen her cry like that," said Martinez, who added that he has often seen the pit bull loose in the neighborhood.
A Las Cruces codes enforcement officer responded to the call around 10:30 a.m. on June 10. The officer said he saw a large hole in Martinez' fence, and the pit bull trying to crawl into the yard.
The officer cited the pit bull's owner, Xavier J. Estrada, 33, for one count of failure to restrain. Estrada told the officer that his pit bull had slipped a chained collar that he had recently bought to restrain the dog, according to a police report.
Martinez said he saw the pit bull outside his home on Sunday, growling at his cat in the window.
When he went outside and chased the dog through his backyard, that is when he found his Chihuhua's mangled body.
"Something needs to be done about these dogs," Martinez said. "There have been too many of these attacks around town."
(Las Cruces Sun-News - June 14, 2012)
