Saw a dog this morning coming into work. The dog was twitching from the mid-back to the tail. Front half of the dog appeared not to be twitching. From my understanding, this is classic symptom of rabies progression up the spine to the brain. Figured someone needed to check it out.

Since it was before 8 am, could reach anyone in Dallas city services.

Called 911, explained the situation, they don't want to have anything to do with it.

After 8, finally got a hold of someone in city services, they say they have 3 days to investigate.

Last time I called about a vicious dog and was told they had 3 days, a little girl got bit by the dog before they picked it up.

Is there anyone I can call to at least get someone to investigate? Or do I have to go shoot the dog myself?

I would say safety first and kill the dog if it is stray however I would probably get some bleeding hearts on the forum jumping in about cruelty to dogs and such.  I would say that your best bet would be let the dog bite or kill someone first then the animal rights activists on the forum MAY shut their pie holes after the victim gets injured and someone else can reccomend a real cure.

Kill it with fire!




I grew up in the country, one time there was a rabies outbreak in the area. A pack of wild dogs (abandoned by the owners) were on the loose. They were killing our chickens, and the neighboring farms chickens too, and they were pretty sneaky. I remember my parents telling me about the rabies, and that the dogs in the "pack" would likely have rabies. I guess I was about seven or eight at the time. We had a long dirt drive way that led up to a paved country road. One Saturday I was riding my bike, and near the road just past a plum thicket was one of the "pack", standing there half ass dazed looking, and frothing at the mouth! I was able to turn around before he saw me and get home safely. I told my dad, and he called the neighbor. They went and hunted down the pack that day, and got 3 of them, including the one I saw. That was some scary shit to me!! It was 35 years ago, and sometimes I dream about it.......exciting!!


Don't take any chances with your family, and don't wait on the city if you are in a situation where it could infect you or your family. Kill that thing!!

Which department did you call?  Animal Control?


This may actually fall under Environmental Health, 670-3696.  Many services are being reorganized, so there is a bit of confusion.


A bit of info....if the CoD was never informed about the animal, the CoD has no liability with what the animal does.  Once you called 911 and informed them, the CoD has a responsibilty to correct the problem and a liability if they do not take action.....same with potholes.


mm

Don't shoot it unless it attacks you.

With today's political climate,  you get more jail time for killing an animal than you do a person.

That's pretty pathetic.  I haven't ever had to deal with Dallas, but other cities have sent someone out within an hour when I called their Animal Control department.  You might have to find that number and call them directly.  You might try 311 the non-emergency number and see if they can transfer you or 211 the government information number and see if they can give you a direct number to Animal Control.

SSS.

Well, I got too damned busy today to worry about it. (ended up meeting some folks from LULAC and I had to play nice for while)

anyway the dog in question was running with another dog that has been on the loose for 3 months and no one has caught that bitch. At least if she gets infected, she'll die. Pretty sad when you recognize and know strays have been running loose that long.

You poor bastard - If my job ever requires me to do that, you have my permission to put ME out of my misery!


ETA: Was it a bunch of bitchy old ladies wearing big, stupid hats?

My opinion is don't shoot it; it might not have rabies, and firing your weapon adds more risks and potential issues that you want to avoid. Call the PD again and discuss your concerns. If they don't point you in the right direction, call a local Animal Hospital and ask them who you might need to contact.

Better chance the dog has something like Distemper, than Rabies. Distempter presents in two forms, as a respiratory form and as a progressive neurological form. Dogs with neurological symptoms often have twitching and occasionally seizures but more often twitching like signs (aka: petit mal seizures or muscle fasciculations). These can occasionally continue long after the dog recovers, assuming they do reover and don't die of the disease. Distemper is a disease of canines and ferrets and is not transmissable to humans. There are numerous other neurological problems in dogs that can occur from a variety of medical issues. Rabies in dogs can and certainly does occur but is not that common in this area, at least in dogs.

If you shot this dog not only would you likely be getting yourself in all kinds of trouble with the law from discharging a firearm in the city limits or disorgerly conduct to possible animal cruelty charges but on top of that you would likely be shooting a dog that most likely does not have rabies.

Animal control certainly should look at the dog to check out and make sure your conerns are addressed. If nothing else to insure there is not an obviously sick dog that is being neglected by it's owner or if the dog is loose then they could at least get the dog and if it is indeed sick euthanize it.

Have you contacted the SPCA?  They will likely be able to help before the city does.

Call PETA.  Nothing like a good case of rabies to liven up a PETA day.  

You haven't contacted the all the animal rights acitivist places you can think and let them know that the Police Dept has been called, but is leaving this poor, diseased dying animal out there to die a slow tortuos death, and said they had three days to invistigate.  It's day four now and they still haven't done anything?

In 2 weeks sit down and watch the City Officials explain the new budget for beefing up their animal control department on the news.