Packs of stray dogs are reportedly terrorizing a rural California town

A small unincorporated community in rural Southern California has been besieged by a pack of aggressive stray dogs this year, according to numerous reports.

In March, roaming stray dogs reportedly killed over 300 sheep and goats in Anza, Riverside County.

“It was a massacre. It was a traumatic situation to come home to,” Alex Avalos, a local farmer who says 30 of his goats were killed by dogs in one attack, told the Press-Enterprise. “My concern is: What if a kid is next.”

Another farmer in Anza said his calves were killed by a pack of dogs. “They were mutilated, and it was horrific,” Phil Noble told KVCR. “The dogs just tore them up and left them alive to die.”

The issue has been a controversial topic on social media among Anza’s 3,000 residents. Last year, one local, in a Facebook post that advocated for shooting the animals if they roam onto residents’ land, said that a pack of dogs killed his puppy. In June, another resident, Celeste Cherry, posted that a pack of five or six dogs killed her hens and fought her dog. Others reported bloodthirsty attacks on llamas and sheep.

Authorities and animal rescue centers say the animals likely come from the numerous illegal marijuana farms in the region, which reportedly bring in big dogs like German and Belgian shepherds, to protect their operations and then abandon them when growing season ends. “We’ve had people, you know, bitten, chased,” an investigator from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office told KVCR. “So there’s a lot of things that come with illegal grows that goes far beyond just the illegal marijuana.” 

In reference to the attack that killed hundreds of animals in the spring, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services told SFGATE that the dogs were not technically feral.

“They were dogs that were owned and had gotten loose, so they were not considered feral,” RCDAS spokesperson Kerry Mabee said. “I would imagine that there are feral dogs out there.”

“We have not had a similar incident since earlier this year. We continue to conduct regular patrols in the region,” Mabee added.

The department acknowledged at the time that there were numerous reported incidents of free roaming dogs, and advised Anza residents to spay or neuter their pets, and not feed the strays. They also said that dog traps were available to loan from the department, if needed. A sweep conducted by the department for unleashed dogs in May resulted in nine citations.