Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 8, 2024 – A Jonesboro man has been concerned for the safety of his family for the last year. They live in a neighborhood not far from downtown. But there’s an unwelcome guest that has them feeling apprehensive.
It’s a pit bull. She doesn’t seem to belong to anyone. For the past year, she’s been on her own, roaming the area, sleeping in yards, making people uncomfortable as they get the mail or take out the trash.
Sam King, his wife and two small children have lived in this area, which is near the intersection of Oak Avenue and Freeman Street, for three years. They have a house on the corner, a fenced-in backyard and some woods behind their property. That’s where the dog likes to sleep.
But during the day, the dog is on the move. It trots up and down the street, sometimes barking at people and trying to figure out where it’s next meal will come from.
King has seen the dog eating food on the property of a vacant house across the street, although he said he’s not sure which neighbor is coordinating that.
“Someone is feeding this dog, and they need to stop,” said Jeff Moore, a supervisor with Jonesboro Animal Control.
Officers are working to find out who is providing food, which Moore said makes their jobs even harder.
Moore and his crew have been setting traps for the dog for a while, but to no avail. Animal Control has King’s neighborhood on “extra patrol” in an effort to catch the dog, but it’s elusive.
At least 20 times in the last year, this scenario repeats itself: King sees the dog, calls Animal Control, an officer is dispatched and the dog disappears. It’s happened over and over, making his family feel unsafe.
“If we’re loading the kids in the car to go anywhere, I’ve got my head on a swivel, scanning everyone’s yard,” King explained. “I keep myself between the truck and the dog until they’re all in the vehicle.”
There have been some scary encounters, too.
King was in his driveway recently when he noticed that the dog was asleep in some flower beds of the house across the street. He saw the dog jump up and head in the direction of a small boy who was walking home from school.
King said he quickly moved between the boy and the dog, which had started barking menacingly, causing the boy to climb up on a large tree stump for safety. King’s efforts to scare the dog away were successful and he walked the child away from the area.
Odessia Haywood lives two doors down from King. Because of this dog, she’s nervous to leave the house and to come home.
“I was coming home from work, got out of my car, and she was right by my trashcan,” she said.
The dog started barking at her, but she was able to back away and get inside.
“That dog roams this neighborhood like it owns this neighborhood,” Haywood said. “I don’t go outside when I know she’s in the yard.”
Haywood, like King, has called Animal Control more than a dozen times in the last year. Both are just hoping for a resolution soon, before someone gets hurt.
“Either the dog is going to get caught or the dog does something bad,” King said.
If you have an animal concern where you live, you can call Animal Control at 870-935-3920 between 8 am and 5 pm on weekdays and 870-935-5553 after hours and on weekends.
