Resident of Corpus Christi chases away dog ​​attack with shots

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Residents of Corpus Christi have long been concerned about the presence of loose and sometimes aggressive dogs roaming their neighborhoods.

On Monday, local resident Scott Chapman said he was forced to use his firearm to stop an attack.

Chapman said he was walking down Beechwood Street when he saw two dogs running around outside. He said he went to take a photo of them to post on his neighborhood page in case they got lost.

Then both dogs started attacking him, one of them biting him on the right leg.

“When the dog hit me, I knew they wouldn’t stop,” he said.

Chapman, who has a concealed carry permit and was armed, drew his weapon and fired it, scaring the dogs away.

“I have a gun license, so I always carry a gun,” Chapman said. “I don’t carry it to protect dogs, I carry it to ensure safety. Today it worked.”

Although no dogs were injured and Chapman’s injuries were not serious, the situation could have been worse. He called 911 to report the incident to animal control, who arrived at the address three hours later.

“We try to respond to every call within a few hours, but the difficulty lies in the amount of staff we have available and the volume of calls and violations we are seeing throughout the city,” said Miguel Escobar, interim program manager for Animal Care Services.

Escobar says their response time also depends on the urgency, such as an ongoing attack.

“All I can say is that we are currently investigating this and we take rabies very seriously in our department,” he said. “It is one of the primary responsibilities of animal care and control.”

Escobar said he knows that many citizens in such a situation feel they have no chance to defend themselves, but that is true – and it all starts with the affidavit.

The affidavit requires a sworn statement from the victim and any witnesses. Once Animal Care Services has these, it can begin investigating the dangerous or aggressive animal process.

There are two categories: “Type 1”, “Type 2” and then “Danger to humans”.

This process also allows Animal Care Services to issue dog owners more than just a summons.

If your animal is classified as dangerous, special care instructions, signage, registration costs and liability insurance are required.