JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A pair of aggressive dogs threatened a Westside neighborhood for days before Animal Care and Protective Services stepped in to resolve the issue.
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“We’ve all kind of been prisoners on our front porch and in our house,” Tina Getz, a neighbor, said. “I carried a golf club. We had several sticks on the porch. Couple of my neighbors were carrying handguns.”
Getz said the dogs went after several feral cats, pets, and a neighbor who had to fight them off with a leaf blower. It started over the weekend and neighbors reported it several times but said nothing was done until Wednesday.
“Four days for them to come out,” Angie Rentz, another neighbor, said. “Somebody could’ve gotten really hurt.”
According to a city spokesperson, a senior animal code enforcement officer went out to the westside neighborhood personally to see why the dogs kept escaping and prevent it from happening again.
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According to the Florida Animal Control Association, there should be at least one animal control officer for every 15-18,000 residents. According to the latest Census data, that means there should be 56 officers to serve Duval. However, the city told Action News Jax it has 14 officers. That’s a quarter of the state recommendations.
Action News Jax requested the total calls to service from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and found as of September, there were nearly 33,000.
Some were from Southside Estates, where we reported about another pack of aggressive dogs responsible for killing several cats in April.
Neighbors said it serves as an important reminder for pet owners.
“If you have an animal that is somewhat aggressive — or protective — make sure you watch them or keep them in. Don’t let anybody else get hurt or lose their life,” Rentz said
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