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Strays on the streets a big problem in some Maricopa neighborhoods

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Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014

By Analise Ortiz

PHOENIX -

KATRINA ARROYOS/CRONKITE NEWS: Some residents of South Phoenix are also worried about the safety of their streets. But stray dogs are the cause for concern. Cronkite News reporter Analise Ortiz shares what you can do if you come across a stray.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITE NEWS: This dog was roaming through a South Phoenix neighborhood alone. This man found him and made a leash out of some rope. It’s not an uncommon occurrence.

JESSE HERNANDEZ/SOUTH PHOENIX RESIDENT: It’s getting a little crazy out here with these dogs. I’ve just seen five German shepherds together in a pack, killing cats.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITE NEWS: Jesse has lived in this neighborhood near 36th Avenue and Van Buren for more than 20 years and says stray dogs are a problem for him and his family.

JESSE HERNANDEZ/SOUTH PHOENIX RESIDENT: I do have two kids, boy and a girl … 5 years old. They love dogs but I don’t let them be around the wild ones.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITE NEWS: Phoenix has one of the highest homeless pet populations in the nation, according to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control Services. A study done last year compared the number of stray dog reports in Phoenix, Glendale and Gilbert.

MELISSA GABLE/MARICOPA COUNTY ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL: We found that the number of reports for stray dogs, dogs at large, dogs on school grounds – the types of calls that we get – three times higher in that West Phoenix, Maryville area.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITE NEWS: If animals are roaming in your neighborhood without identification, you can help. Do your best to safely contain it and if you can’t, give Maricopa County Animal Care and Control a call. And if your pet is lost -

MELISSA GABLE/MARICOPA COUNTY ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL: Time is of the essence. If your dog has disappeared you need to get to the shelters and visit, and we recommend that you come every couple of days.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITE NEWS: That’s because Animal Care and Control can only hold a stray for 72 hours before it’s put up for adoption, or in the worst case, euthanized.