Some Jennings residents are raising concerns about unleashed, stray and vicious dogs roaming their neighborhood.

Ruby Gray, a resident of Wilbert D. Rochelle Avenue, told the Jennings City Council on Tuesday that she is concerned about safety issues in her neighborhood including unleashed or poorly leashed dogs. She urged the city to enforce laws governing unleashed dogs.

“We are aware of the parish’s intention of building an animal shelter, but we need some immediate relief to these existing problems,” Gray said. “We are asking that an ordinance be enforced about unleashed dogs in the community. We would like to be able to walk in our neighborhood without the fear of being attacked by vicious dogs.”

East Racca Road resident Volyia Abraham also voiced concerns about the dogs roaming loose in the neighborhood.

“I’ve been attacked almost twice by four pit bulls,” Abraham said.

Abraham said she has been confronted by the dogs in her driveway as she was taking her trash out last Friday. Another time, a dog wouldn’t let her out of her vehicle, she said.

“It would bark and yell and start showing me its teeth,” she said. “When a dog starts showing you its teeth, that means they want to bite.”

Her cousin was also attacked by a Labrador retriever about four weeks ago on Racca Road.

“Something needs to be done with all these stray dogs,” she said, stating that she had counted nine stray dogs in just one day.

Mayor Henry Guinn said the city has an animal enforcement program and has police officers that patrol.

“It’s just a matter of reporting the animals to animal control,” he said. “(Police Chief) Danny (Semmes) does a really good job of picking them up. We’ve had vicious animals in the past reported, but this is the first I am hearing about this particular instance. I’d just advocate for increased patrol.”

He also urged residents to report the dogs to the city’s police department, who regulates the animal control shelter, when they see stray, unleashed animals..

“Make sure that they are aware and give them the last sighting of where you saw the animal and we’ll send out animal control to pick them up,” Guinn said.

Councilman Clifton Lejeune said residents should also take pictures of the dogs to help police identify the animals.

Resident Carolyn Washington Barker said dogs are being dropped off in dark areas in the neighborhoods as late as 2 a.m. A white truck was seen on video dropping off three dogs at 2 a.m. Monday, she said.

“So they are not our area dogs, they are just being dropped off,” Barker said.

Resident Angela Lehman said it is really “horrible and scary” to be outside in your own yard and have dogs routinely there.

“It has happened to us as well where people are dropping dogs,” she said. “I think that the solution is clearly to contact animal control and (Police Chief) Danny (Semmes), but I also think it goes both ways. Maybe there is something that can be said from the city’s perspective. Maybe the fines need to be increased when people do drop off dogs because it really does happen.”

She said the problem is enforcement and urged the city to better inform the public about the animal ordinances and penalties involved.

Councilman Carolyn Simon said she has called the police chief and the person over the animal shelter.

Simon said she is currently caring for a stray dog that has shown up at her house until the animal shelter can find someone to take care of the animal.

She said people in her neighborhood have been approached by pit bulls and voiced concern about children waiting at bus stops.

“I think the patrolling needs to take place from early morning until late night,” Simon said.

Guinn said residents should report problems with dogs to the Jennings Police Department when they see the animals roaming at-large or being dumped by individuals.

“When you see that in real time, that’s when you stop and call the police department and say ‘I’ve got a stray,’ and if there is not a response, then we get involved and we take action,” Guinn said.

He said Semmes has taken a lot of dogs off the streets.