LONGVIEW, Texas — Nearly four months after a deadly dog attack in Longview, residents say loose dogs continue to be a problem. On Thursday, Longview city leaders discussed possible solutions to control loose dogs.
"Someone losing their life to an unrestrained dog is a travesty," Longview District 3 City Councilman Wray Wade said.
Wade spoke about the attack that took the life of Kenneth Pierson back in February and discussed what can be done to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
"The City of Longview has committees and boards and advisory committees, and I believe as a city council we need to rely on them, their individual expertise, their ability to bring other community members to the table because they are already focused on those issues," Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara said.
Ishihara, who was sworn in on Thursday, suggested the animal shelter advisory committee, which is made up of animal control professionals and citizens, should weigh in.
"It’s a really sensitive topic and I think anything that happens with this has to come from the citizens of Longview towards the council, before the council makes any move," Wade said.
The animal shelter advisory committee typically meets quarterly, but Ishihara said they’ll increase their schedule to tackle this issue and to make sure they get feedback from community members.
"We have to get our citizens involved. And so the solution will be to get the citizens involved, find out what’s intricately going on like in District 3 such as mine, District 2 as in newly elected Councilwoman Moore’s district. And we find out from them how they feel about these issues, and what we can do to service our constituents," Wade said.