Reprint from the Progress Times - January 5, 2007
©Progress Times 2006 - All Rights Reserved

Pit-Bull Attack On Pet Spurs Community Into Action

By David Rodriguez

Velma Alvarez can't sleep at night.

The grisly images of her dog after being mauled by three pit-bulls have imprinted themselves on the Mission woman's psyche. She now fears for the safety of the children in the neighborhood.

"They really did a job on her," said Alvarez. "She held on though, she waited for me to come home."

Last week Alvarez received a call during the day from her roommate's daughter, Vanessa Garza. The 16 year old was frantic as she explained that her Dachshund, "Negra" had been dragged out from under the garage and was being mauled.

Garza, who attends Veterans Memorial High School, says she was upstairs when the attack took place.

"I was upstairs helping my brother clean up his room and all of a sudden I heard barking," Garza said. "From my brother's room you can see the front yard and I looked out and saw these two dogs barking at the garage. I then saw them drag Negra out from the garage and begin attacking her. I ran downstairs and called my mom and heard a car door slam and the dogs were gone."

After the attack Alvarez took her dog to the veterinarian who told her that it would take some work to keep her alive and Alvarez agreed to let him try. But moments later Negra was gone.

As horrific as the experience was, perhaps even more startling is that this wasn't the first time Negra was attacked by the same dogs.

In fact, according to Alvarez' neighbors on Palmetto Drive just off Mayberry in Mission, there have been multiple incidents and attacks by the dogs in the last two years.

Alvarez, for one, has had enough.

"I don't want my dog to die in vain because if they had put these dogs down before, my dog would still be alive," Alvarez said. "I just don't feel neighborhoods are a place for pit-bulls."

She isn't the only one.

Alvarez has now started a petition to urge Mission leaders to create a city ordinance banning pit-bulls from city limits. According to Mission Animal Control, McAllen has already adopted a similar measure.

Although two of the pit-bulls involved in the attack were taken by Animal Control, the neighborhood is still behind Alvarez almost one hundred percent. In just one week 40 people from her neighborhood have signed the petition, many of them detailing their own run-ins with the dogs. Jeff Bell of 907 Briarwood says he called Animal Control a year ago and nothing was done. Christie Lopez of 2409 Fuentes Dr. says the dogs threatened her father Carlos.

The petition reads like a rap sheet.

Sharon Valdez, who heard the first attack on Negra, also witnessed the three pit bulls attacking another large dog a couple years ago. She says she fears for her children.

"I've got four children at home, my youngest is 10. He likes to ride his bike and go out," said Valdez. "Who's to say these dogs aren't going to attack a child? How am I supposed to know one time my son is out on his bike they aren't going to jump him. Nobody knows that. If they can knock the fence down surely they can get out again. It’s just scary that these dogs are there. I won't let my son in the front now unless I'm out there because you just never know."

Another neighbor, Odette Briseño, who has three children, voices the same concerns.

"We're scared," she said. "We were always in the front. Not any more."

Briseño says that even though her sons are 16 and 15 respectively, she worries about them and doesn't like them to be outside without her there.

"It seems like I always have to be outside with them, even though they are teenagers.”

If Alvarez gets her way, her neighbors won't have to worry. This weekend she plans on taking her petition to local H-E-Bs and Wal-Marts and by next week plans to take the petition before the Mission City Council.

"I'm on a mission and I'm not going to rest," said Alvarez. "If we can't ban them from the city limits then at least perhaps we'll be able to ban them from our neighborhoods if the people don't want them there.”