A Palm Beach County neighborhood is on alert after people spotted what they call wild dogs attacking their animals.
All that’s left in a cage where one man said he raised dozens of peacocks, chickens, turkeys, and geese over 14 years is a mess of feathers. He said only two of his peacocks survived, along with a few birds locked in a higher cage.
"I don’t think they were eating them, they were just killing them," said Marvin Morris, the man’s neighbor.
The owner of the animals was too upset to give his name or do an interview, but said he saw three wild dogs in his pen killing his birds last Tuesday morning.
"I walked up the canal and there was two chickens that were semi-submerged and there were two geese up further that were still floating in the canal," said Morris.
A few days later, in the same area of Tangerine Boulevard and 63rd Lane North, on Saturday morning, another neighbor said her dogs alerted her that something was going on next door.
"My dog alerted me that there was something going on outside," said Sue Duncan. "I came out, it was just getting light and I saw two blonde colored dogs in the pen over there and the chickens were screeching and crying."
Duncan said she yelled and clapped to scare the dogs off but it was too late. Her neighbor, Gayle York, who was out of town lost seven chickens.
"She said there’s been an attack on your coup and I said, do I have dead chickens, and she said, yes, several dead, several injured," said York in a phone interview with WPTV about the conversation she had with her chicken sitter Saturday morning.
York said she raised those chickens since they were one day old.
The neighbors said they’ve heard of coyotes in the area before, but those who saw the wild animals said they're certain they were dogs, possibly loose or stray.
"Who's to say they wouldn’t go after a child?" said Joyce Morris, Marvin’s wife.
The dogs appear to have dug their way into the coups.
The two neighbors whose animals were attacked said they tried to place blocks, woods, and other objects to stop them from digging, but it didn't work.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control said it has not received any reports of the attacks and is not investigating at this time.
A spokesperson stressed that people should report the attacks, and response will vary depending on the urgency of the situation.
ACC said they would respond if dogs are causing the attacks, but if it involves a coyote it's up to FWC to investigate.
