Dallas Animal Services loose dog enforcement continues to improve

Loose dog service requests in a targeted area of Council District 4 have increased, but the City’s response times have improved by more than 30 percent over the past month, according to Dallas Animal Services.

DAS improved response time to priority loose dog calls in the District 4 targeted area by 30.5 percent despite a 77.9 percent increase in service requests. Citations also increased to 39, compared to a monthly average of 2.5 from April through Sept. 2015.

The area is the first of five sections of Dallas identified as having the greatest need for loose dog enforcement. The City will focus on enforcement of loose and stray dogs in one of the five targeted areas for 30 days. Residents will be surveyed at the beginning and end of the 30-day period to learn their concerns and gauge progress.

The effort will continue through March. DAS will also increase staffing in order to better apply the approach to more targeted areas. From Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, 27 new employees have been hired, including 16 Animal Services Officers, five Senior Animal Service Officers, four Animal Keeper II positions and two crew leaders.

The City plans to continue using these new resources to improve loose dog enforcement in various targeted areas across Dallas.