Pearl River County Animal Control Officer Danny Joe Slade is actively searching for two loose dogs that reportedly killed a goat and attacked two horses on the west side of Highway 11 in Ozona.
All of the attacks have occurred on the west side of Highway 11 in the Ozona community on different properties, he said.
The first attack occurred April 27 on a horse in an open pasture that belongs to a Picayune Police officer, Slade said.
Due to the horse’s ability to move around, the dogs were unable to do too much damage, and the other horses in the pasture were believed to have helped defend her, Slade said.
Sunday, the same dogs killed a goat, he said.
Monday, they attacked another horse—a thoroughbred weighing 1,300 to 1,400 pounds—that was in its stall, unable to defend itself, Slade said.
When the owner heard a commotion, he fired a gun to scare the dogs, but they had already done serious damage to the horse, Slade said. As the owner chased the dogs away, they attempted to attack him as well.
Fortunately, camera footage in the stall captured the dogs, Slade said.
He said he believes the dogs are pit bull mixes, one is red and brindle with a collar, the second is suspected to be tan in color without a collar.
Slade said he and other officers have been patrolling the area for several days searching for the dogs and are now expanding their efforts.
As of Wednesday morning, Slade said the owners of the dogs are still unknown.
“We’ve asked a lot of questions, but came up empty handed,” he said. “We are pushing pretty hard to find them.”
With so many animals and livestock in that area, Slade said capturing the dogs is a high priority.
Because these dogs seem to have formed a pack, Slade doesn’t suspect the attacks are fueled by hunger, nor will they stop on their own.
Anyone that sees the dogs should not approach them, but find a safe place and call the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department at 601-798-5528.
In two unrelated incidents, Slade said he is also investigating the death of another goat on Harry Sones Road that appears to be caused by another pit bull. A child was also reportedly bitten by a pit bull in Hide-A-Way Lake a few days ago, Slade said.