A dog peeks through the fence at the Floydada Animal Shelter in December 2021. (Alex Driggars/Floyd County Record)
FLOYDADA – It’s something everyone in the room agreed was a problem, but how to solve the issue remains up for discussion. On Tuesday night a dozen Floydada residents packed into City Hall to voice their concerns over unleashed and wild dogs that roam the city’s streets.
Resident Sarah Hinsley was the one who brought the citizens together, gathering 100 signatures and getting on the council agenda for the evening. “We can’t walk, we can’t ride bikes, I can’t go into my own personal barn without being attacked by dogs.”
“It’s like they run this town,” echoed resident Maria Brown.
The discussion ranged from incentivizing pet owners who do keep their dogs kept up safely to using bear or wasp spray to keep the dogs at bay, but the council and city officials told residents there isn’t much else they legally can do. “We’ve raised citation fees,” Councilman Brian Martin told the crowd. “The problem is some people will just go out and get another dog” explained City Secretary Patti Lowrance.
Brown asked what would happen if a loose dog attacked a person, who would be responsible. City Attorney Karen Houchin explained the owner of the dog would be, especially in the case of bodily injury or death. When asked what repercussions a resident could see from shooting a dog, Houchin said “You shoot, you’re responsible for any stray bullet.”
City Manager Darrell Gooch shared much of the frustration with the residents, but said currently the city does not have the budget for a full-time animal control officer, and even if they did “You’ve got to get people to care.” He added that time is spent addressing the issue, but at the cost of other city services.
Councilwoman Dana Crossland also addressed the frustration. “I promise you, the people around this table are doing what we can do within the law.”
In the end the residents thanked the council for hearing them, but left disappointed there wasn’t more actionable work that could be taken against owners. Under current state law the city can fine a resident as much as any other class C misdemeanor for a loose animal, and can only seize an animal if it has been deemed a threat after injuring another person. A dog is considered abandoned and adoptable if it remains unclaimed at the Animal Shelter. The city can only euthanize an animal after other avenues have been exhausted, and then at a cost to the city of nearly $150 per animal.
