Pit Bull Pack Threateneds Child; Cops Kill 1 Dog

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville animal control officers are looking for a feral pit bull that is part of a pack that attempted to attack a 3-year-old girl on Harrison Street. The feral dogs roam neighborhoods and wooded areas between Monroe Street and U.S. Highway 175. Suzie Clements, the animal control officer for Jacksonville Police Department, said officials have been chasing this particular pack of dogs for several years. She said once the dogs see members in traps, they relocate and they know what her truck looks like. Originally the pack had seven members, but she believes now there is only one left. “When they see their cohorts in the traps, they leave and we have to wait until we see them again,” she said. She said the dogs are well-known in the neighborhood, and generally just a nuisance to residents by getting into their trash, eating their dog food, and attacking goats or other animals. But on Wednesday, the group came out of the woods to attack a small girl riding her three-wheeler. Luckily, the girl’s grandfather was able to scare them off.