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MARION COUNTY, Fla. - Neighbors in a rural Silver Springs community say a pack of aggressive dogs has been attacking their pets.
Marion County neighbors said they're afraid of five dogs who have attacked their pets.
Not such a warm welcome
What we know:
A medium-sized black Pit Bull mix without a collar barked as a FOX 35 crew pulled up to Norm Thayer’s Silver Springs home.
Thayer said the dog is one of five that have been terrorizing him and his neighbors over the last year.
"The black one with the white chest – he seems to be the ringleader," he said. "I’ve had the grey one come around my truck – snarling, growling, showing its teeth the whole nine yards."
For safety reasons, Thayer said he carries a gun with him whenever he goes outside.
"I don’t move that fast anymore, and I’m not going to try to fend off a full-grown Pit Bull," he said.
Marion County neighbors said they're afraid of five dogs who have attacked their pets.
A history of aggression
This week, Thayer said things escalated when he heard a ruckus and came outside to find the pack of dogs in his backyard attacking his 2-year-old spaniel, Louie.
"Two of the dogs had Louie pinned down right there in front of that gate," Thayer told FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie while pointing to the ground. "Nothing broke the skin, but there is a couple of good spots where they had their teeth in him."
Thayer said this incident is just the latest.
A few months before, and a few houses down, Thayer said the dogs attacked and killed another neighbor’s Miniature Pinscher.
Shelby Jennings – who said the pack of dogs frequently chases her cats – recalled the "terrible situation."
"We just heard it and went down there immediately and found him… and I contacted the owner, and he came down and picked him up," Jennings said.
She’s now afraid the situation will end similarly.
Who owns the dogs?
Thayer’s home backs up to where the dogs live.
He said they are constantly out roaming the neighborhood.
When Mackenzie attempted to contact the woman who allegedly owns the dogs, one of the dogs wouldn’t let her get close to the door.
Marion County neighbors said they're afraid of five dogs who have attacked their pets.
Animal Control responds
What they're saying:
Jennings said she's called animal control numerous times – and filed reports with them – but nothing has come from it.
"It’s only going to get worse if something is not done," Jennings said. "God forbid something happens to a kid… and then what – then what?"
FOX 35 reached out to Marion County Animal Control.
A representative said they're looking into the request.
An animal control truck showed up to the neighborhood not long after Mackenzie began asking questions.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Marion County Animal Control and FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie.