San Leon community wants
something done about dogs

SAN LEON — As a mail carrier for 18 years, Austin Lazard has encountered more than his fair share of dogs. He says the problem with strays in San Leon is bad. "I've called animal control and they come out every once in awhile," said Lazard, 49, who has lived in San Leon for nearly six years. "But, it's a bad deal with loose pit bulls running around.

"Last week, a group of about 50 residents gathered for a town meeting to discuss the problem with strays in San Leon. "People said that when they walk down the street for exercise or their kids walk to the bus stop, there's so many animals out there that they're concerned," said Ronnie Schultz, director of environmental health programs for the Galveston County Health District.

"They said that when they go out walking at night, dogs come out after them.

"Schultz said the county's animal control department is reviewing feedback received from San Leon residents at the meeting and hopes to meet with them again in the next few months.

"We're assessing our situation with the number of officers we have for the county," he said. "But we haven't made any decisions on if we're understaffed at this point."

San Leon resident Roseanne Kendall said she almost always carries some type of weapon — including a metal pipe with spikes — when she goes outside to ride her bicycle or pick up the mail. Two years ago, she said her husband, Kenny, and 13-year-old daughter, Anna, were both bitten by a large, stray black dog near the family's home. Kendall, 51, a homemaker, said the strays that she fears the most are pit bulls and Rottweilers. "I saw one the other day that had a head the size of a football. You see three or four of those suckers coming at you, your legs are going to fly," she said.

Schultz said the county has a law that requires pets to be fenced in or on leashes when outdoors. He said pets must also be licensed through the county health district and that each household can have no more than four animals. Schultz said pet owners who violate the law can receive citations and even be required to make court appearances. A citation can range from $35 to $1,000. "There's a lot of folks out there that are just not aware of the regulations of Galveston County," he said. "We need to better educate them.

"A lot of calls
Schultz said the county's animal control department receives about 20 telephone calls weekly from San Leon residents. He said the department responds as quickly as possible and goes to the community on an almost daily basis. According to the San Leon Web site, the city has a population of about 4,365. San Leon resident Sylvia Fulmer blames most of the strays on people from other cities who drive there to abandon unwanted pets.

 "Sometimes you can find a whole box by the side of the road full of kittens or puppies," said Fulmer, 70, a retired business owner. "It's a problem of unwanted creatures. It's sad, it really is." She had a 5-foot chain-link fence installed at her home to keep stray dogs out of the yard. "They were everywhere," she said. "You couldn't keep them away." Fulmer said that although she has noticed less strays recently than before, the problem still exists.

 "There's always dogs around," she said. "If they're not strays, then people leave their dogs out. Some people have dogs and don't have fences. That's just the way it is out here, but it shouldn't be."

Adding to the problem
Kendall said some San Leon residents are drug users and that their addictions increase the number of dogs that wander San Leon. "A lot of them are lonely, so they get a dog," she said. "But they're irresponsible, because they can't even run their own lives, much less that of a dog."
Kendall said the only way the number of dogs roaming San Leon will be reduced is if the county's animal control department takes a zero tolerance approach to them. "Ticket the owners," she said. "Make them pay every time they're loose."

For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
(409) 938-2211
kkoopman@gchd.org