Ross River, Yukon residents menaced, attacked by stray dogs

Fran Etzelhas lived in Ross River, Yukon all her life, so she's seen plenty of stray dogs wandering around over the years. But she feels things are different now.

"Ihaven't been this afraid, ever," Etzel said. She says there seems to be moreand more menacingdogs roaming the community these days. She recently started carrying pepper spray to protect herself.

"I'm always living on edge," she said."Every time I hear a dog bark or somebody yelling, I'm outside lookingisthere somebody needing my help?"

Etzel saidpeople often come to her door to escape aggressivedogs. She said a young girl recently showed up with bite marks up her leg.Etzel herself was attackedlast weekas she was walking her grandson home.

"A vicious dog just came out of nowhere," Etzel said. She managed to fight it off with pepper spray and neither she nor her grandson were hurt. But Etzel was definitely shaken.

The aggressive dog was later shot by an RCMP officer.

"They seem to be running at large.Most of them look really thin,they're hungry and not looked after and you don't know what might happen," Etzel said."I'm so afraid for kids and elders, or anyone that's defenseless and not able to fight these dogs off."

'They should get rid of them'

Ross River doesn't have a municipalgovernment, or dog bylaws.

Resident Dorothy Smith saiddog owners are notkeeping their pets under control andthe Ross River Dena Council should take action and start killing straydogs.

"Nobody's feeding them.They're starvingso they should get rid of them, because nobody owns them," Smith said.

"Ithink the chief and council should take the responsibility and do what they should have done long ago."