When Jake Elliott walks his three Siberian huskies, Denali, Mahina and Poliahu, and his Belgian Malinois named Radar, he carries a baton, taser and knife.
The motive? To defend himself and his pets from aggressive dogs, some who run in packs, that for months have been terrorizing Hawaiian Ocean View Estates on the Big Island.
Aggressive dogs and abused or deserted animals have been a difficulty for years for the sprawling rural Ka‘ū community. But now, residents feel the problem has escalated following two attacks in August that resulted in the death of 71-year-old Robert Northrop and two bites to the leg of Jason Canaan, who was fortunate it wasn’t worse after being encircled by a pack of about six to eight vicious dogs.
Resident Hannah Janssen is so fearful she lately has stopped happening walks within the neighborhood except she has an escort with a weapon or a canine.
Feeling they don’t seem to be getting assist from Hawai‘i County’s new Animal Control and Protection Agency, Elliott and his neighbors on Palm Parkway and Lono Lane are taking issues into their very own fingers. They have purchased a $200 canine lure to seize a skittish, starved pit bull that’s been rummaging via Janssen’s trash for weeks.
Elliott mentioned he doesn’t need the aggressive dogs harmed; he desires them to now not be freely roaming the neighborhood.
Canaan mentioned there may be frequent dialogue to stress the county to do their job by popping out and capturing the feral canines and holding their house owners accountable. Multiple neighbors have reached out to animal management for assist in catching animals.
Matt Runnells, the director of the county’s new Animal Control and Protection Agency — which took over these duties from the Hawai’i Island police on July 1 — mentioned final week that animal management presents had been evaluating locations the place they might place traps to catch animals.
With solely seven full-time animal management officers for the whole island, Runnells mentioned his officers are unfold skinny. They make visits to the Ka‘ū group a few times per week. The county division can be addressing canine packs reported in Volcano and Pāhoa, the place there even have been folks severely injured in assaults.
“It’s a sign of the area,” Runnells mentioned. “The mentality that they don’t see animals as part of the family but a piece of property when we live in a throw-away society.”
While overcrowded animal shelters and strays have all the time been a prevalent drawback on Hawai‘i Island, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem with pets being deserted by unemployed or underemployed folks dealing with financial hardships.
Runnells is within the means of building a bigger workers and hopes to have a complete of 16 full-time animal management officers by subsequent spring.
“We’re a new department,” he mentioned. “It takes time. Most positions are being created from scratch.”
He added: “We are trying to steer ourselves to those areas that need drastic attention and we can’t get out there fast enough.”
He is also wanting into organising a staging submit in Ocean View for officers to course of animals they catch all through the realm.
“Those animals would be transported to a permanent facility at the end of the day,” he defined, including he’s additionally wanting into bringing on a cellular vet unit.
Runnells is within the means of getting extra traps, which were profitable in getting aggressive dogs. Now, the division solely has a few dozen. He mentioned a cargo is on its method with 80 cages (a lure with a spring door).
With the traps, his officers have caught just a few of the dogs working packs however they get changed by different packs.
Many residents in Ocean View need the problem to be addressed earlier than anybody else will get harm.
Canaan was attacked round Palm Parkway and Catamaran Lane whereas walking throughout the 5-mile subdivision a few weeks after Northrop was fatally mauled. He suspects it was the identical pack of dogs, who most likely had been educated to hunt pigs.
Canaan was capable of break the circle, however not earlier than being bit twice. The subsequent day, Canaan took police to the realm the place the attack occurred, however officers wouldn’t go to the home the place the dogs got here from.
“They [the police] just told me to avoid the area,” he mentioned.
Canaan mentioned he’s been again to that space lately and mentioned he hasn’t seen the dogs.
“I just want dogs to be properly restrained,” Canaan mentioned.
Canaan and Janssen suppose the neighborhood may use knowledgeable sweep by animal management.
Janssen mentioned she desires the county to begin fining canine house owners for animals unleashed or non-confined.
“I’m not interested in being killed or injured by dogs,” Janssen mentioned. “I see them all the time while driving. While [I’m] in the car, they will menacingly chase and bark.”
