The family of a Longview man killed by a dog says more could have been done

LONGVIEW, Texas – The city of Longview announced Tuesday that it is taking steps to control the stray dog ​​population in its community. This comes after Kenneth Pierson was found dead next to his bike after being attacked by a pack of dogs in a south Longview neighborhood.

Weeks later, the dog’s owner, Gilbert Martin Rodriguez, was charged in connection with his death. An investigation by our newspaper partners at the Longview News-Journal found that the city’s animal control department had previously issued 50 citations against Rodriguez.

Pierson’s family says the dangerous dog situation is an ongoing problem.

“It’s been a long-term problem,” said Pierson’s longtime friend Petra Davis.

Davis remembers the moment she got the call about Pierson’s death.

“Unbelief. Just kind of… I thought none of this made any sense. I thought, ‘A dog? Dogs? What are you talking about? None of this makes sense,” Davis said.

For Davis, the last few months without him have been challenging, especially with their son Zayden. A giraffe given to Zayden by his father is one of the few things he has to remember.

“This giraffe was given to me by my father’s mother because he wasn’t there to give it to me, but it is really special to me because it makes me think about how much fun I had with him,” said Zayden.

Davis said she didn’t realize until recently how bad the stray dog ​​situation was in the neighborhood where Kenneth lived.

“He would talk about those dogs sometimes because he wouldn’t let Zayden go because of those dogs,” Davis said.

It’s a death that sparks a shift in the way the city handles the stray animal population.

“We have been spending more time in this part of Longview,” said Richard Yeakley, spokesman for the city of Longview.

He adds that the animal control agency is now taking steps to reduce the stray dog ​​population in the south of the city, where there is a dense population and a lot of underdeveloped land for dogs to live on.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure incidents like this don’t happen in our community,” Yeakley said.

Data collected by our newspaper partners at the Longview News-Journal provides insight into the number of Longview dog complaints in Gregg Counties. From 2019 to 2023, 574 dog bites were reported in Longview, 208 in Gregg County, and nearly 1,500 animals had to be impounded. Davis said something should have been done sooner to prevent this tragedy.

“If there are multiple accounts and you have children that are being threatened, then there are citizens that are being threatened where they can’t go into our stores,” Davis said.

In response to the numbers detailed in this report, the city of Longview said animal control officers have issued more than 300 animal citations. Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center took in more than 1,200 animals last year. The city also increased its animal protection presence in the south of the city.