EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two men had to be hospitalized after a neighbor’s dog attacked them early Wednesday morning on the 2600 block of Nations Avenue. Two El Paso Police officers eventually shot and killed the pet to neutralize the situation.
Witnesses tell KTSM they’ve seen the dog out wandering days prior to the attack, something El Paso Animal Services (EPAS) says was the owner’s responsibility to get under control.
“Our pets are our responsibility as owners. Anything that our pets either come about or are loose, it’s our responsibility to go ahead and make sure that the dog is properly confined or has everything that they require. At the point in time, the dog is at large or is causing either a nuisance or causes damage to somebody or another pet then we are responsible,” said Yazmine Quezada, a field supervisor with EPAS.
Quezada says the attack on Nations Avenue was a rare one for officers to respond to. Between January and August of this year, EPAS has received around 21,000 calls, and from those, about 800 were in regard to exposures and bites.
In this case, EPAS was on the scene to help the El Paso Police Department control the environment.
“Depending on the moment, our duties as officers are to get there on scene to secure the property. More than anything, to make sure that the dog is not at large, to make sure it’s not attacking anybody, the safety of the community and then allowing the medical staff or paramedics and police department to handle their end as well to we tend to the victim and then us addressing it with the owner if we can confirm one at the property,” said Quezada.
At the time of this report, the investigation is still ongoing, but EPAS says even in the case of an accident, owners are still responsible for their pets, and that means keeping them safely on their property.
“More than anything, securing their home, their property, along the lines that they have an escape route that they know their dog is getting out from. Securing the property with proper fencing, either building a larger rock wall or chain link fence. Securing any holes at the dogs are getting out from. Within the city, the dogs can also be tethered,” said Quezada.
Dogs cannot be chained, but they can be tethered with plastic to ensure they stay in a certain area. EPAS is reminding owners that if they take this route, dogs still need access to shade, shelter and water.
Should your animal cause bodily harm to another animal or person, both citations and legal consequences could be waiting after an investigation.
“We do seek any sort of violations that are in place, issuing citations as far as vaccine registration, the dog being out running loose, and then they proceed with the police department taking over with anything further upon their investigation… Not only can it proceed legally with citations from our department, but also in a civil matter with the owners or victim involved,” said Quezada.
EPAS offers safety precautions classes where children and adults can learn about bite prevention.
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