Pack of cat-killing wild dogs has Miami Beach neighborhood on edge: ‘What if it was a child?’

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A pack of wild dogs has been terrorizing a Miami Beach neighborhood for several months.

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Three cats have allegedly been killed by the roaming group.

“I have seen as many as six together at one time and running wildly as a pack,” said resident Tom Harrington. “They don’t have collars, they seem feral.”

Nobody knows where they came from, but the group of wild dogs has been roaming the Normandy Isles for the last six months.

“I have seen the same dogs since January, so it’s puzzling as to whether they have been dumped or they’re from a neighbor, we just don’t know,” said resident Nancy Harrington.

The streets of South Florida are filled with dumped dogs and uncared for cats, and most of those homeless animals are not sterilized, meaning more babies being born on the streets.

“Right now, we need to focus on getting these dangerous dogs off the street,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt. “Sometimes dogs are dangerous because they are scared and hungry.”

Bhatt was called in to help with the situation.

“It’s heartbreaking that they are damaging and killing cats,” she said.

Neighbors have reported three different cats were killed.

“A cat was mauled and dismembered a block away, a pet,” said Nancy Harrington.

The first cat killed was on March 29, a pet named Silvie.

His owner was too distraught to speak to Local 10 News, but texted saying, “The violent way he was taken from us has been absolutely devastating. Our hearts are broken.”

This month, there were two more feline deaths.

“Those same dogs roaming the neighborhood from 11:30 (at night) until 4 and 5 in the morning, at which point they killed and dragged an elderly 18-year-old cat,” said Nancy Harrington.

Two pet cats and one community cat named Lucy are all dead due to unchecked feral animals fighting for survival.

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“You must help us trap the loose animals so that they can be spayed because it is unsafe for everybody, for the animals themselves, for residents, for visitors,” said Bhatt.

Some of the Normandy neighbors joined forces, successfully catching two of the dogs on June 7 after trapping them inside a construction site until animal control could arrive.

“We picked up two of the dogs that have been spotted roaming around this neighborhood and they are now in our custody,” said Gabriella Dominguez with Miami-Dade Animal Services.

The dogs are being held while MDAS conducts their investigation and sets traps to catch the other four dogs in the pack.

Those still-wild dogs seem to roam when it’s cooler and quieter outside which has residents with cats and small dogs concerned.

“They reached out to me because they were concerned that cats were being killed and we have so many animal lovers in our community which raises a bigger issue, what if it was a child?,” said Miami Beach Cat Program Coordinator Holly Whalen.

Anyone who sees the dogs featured in this story is urged to call 311 for help from animal services, but, if it is an emergency, always call the police.

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