We have neighbors that the cops don't even go to alone. I would rather not talk to them about their 24/7 barking dogs.
Here is a pasting of an article from this week's local newspaper about problem dogs. They make barkers look good.
Dog attack illustrates ongoing WV problem
By KURT SCHAUPPNER / The Desert Trail Wednesday, January 23, 2008 2:27 PM PST
WONDER VALLEY — Less than a month after moving to Wonder Valley, Bill Carr and his 15-year-old Terrier mix, Samantha, “Sammy,” were introduced to a long-standing problem in this east Morongo Basin community, aggressive packs of loose dogs.
Carr, a disabled veteran, moved to Wonder Valley from Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 15 with his 8-pound dog.
They have been staying with a friend, Bill Wetterer, at Wetterer’s house in the 4700 block of Wilson Road.
They were outside on the afternoon off Wednesday, Jan. 9 when Samantha was attacked by five large mixed-breed dogs, Carr said, describing the dogs as not as big as but as tall as Rottweilers.
“They all came over and one of them grabbed her and shook her,” Carr said. “She’s got 45 stitches in her.”
He added that the dog has suffered from infections and other complications since the attack.
Carr and Wetterer took Samantha to the Hi-Desert Animal Hospital in Yucca Valley where a neighbor leant Carr the money to pay for treatment. Carr said he plans to repay the neighbor though he is not certain how.
Carr said he is not certain if the dogs are feral or simply dogs allowed by their owners to run loose.
“They came down one night and aggressively went after my friend,” Carr said. “They are out all hours. I understand that they are all over the area. It might be someone just lets them out at night to go scavenge.”
Carr noted that he and Wetterer have been friends for 30 years. They work together as professional musicians and handymen.
Wetterer noted that he has lived in Wonder Valley for about 13 years.
“I don’t know exactly where they come from. They seem to have packed up,” he said of the dogs who attacked Samantha and others who are known to roam the area.
“People do dump dogs out here periodically. I think some of them are just dogs that are not cared for very well,” he said. “I cannot identify any particular dog with an owner.”
He said he has seen the same bunch of dogs before, usually in a pack of about five.
“I think there are other bunches too. There’s quite a few wild dogs out here,” he said, noting that he has been confronted by dogs acting “like my property is their property. If I get aggressive with them so far they have backed off.”
He described the dogs as ranging from medium to large.
“I think we are going to call Animal Control,” he said.
Wetterer added that there are many Wonder Valley residents with dogs who are responsible dog owners.
Wonder Valley Fire Capt. Starlene Javier on Tuesday, Jan. 22 confirmed that aggressive loose dogs has been a long-running but not frequent problem for Wonder Valley residents.
“There are packs of wild dogs that have been running around here for years,” Javier said. “They have attacked animals. I have known them to keep people from coming out of their homes.”
She noted that residents calling county Animal Control should not expect much of a response unless the offending animal has been captured.
“They are not going to come out and search the desert,” she said. “Unless they are captured or contained they have no way of catching them.”
Javier estimated that attacks are reported three or four times a year.
Sometimes the dogs are those that have been abandoned by people from outside the area.
“People kick their dogs out here all the time,” she said, adding that if nobody adopts the abandoned dog it can be adopted by a feral pack.
“There’s a pack that runs with about two or three pit bulls,” she said.
“Don’t attempt to go near them. They will attack you,” she said, noting that if you are inside and a pack is outside your home, and you don’t have a gun, you should probably stay indoors.
