SALINE COUNTY, Ark. — In a Saline County neighborhood that experienced a tragedy just over one year ago, some residents fear something similar could happen again.
A memorial to the first tragedy currently sits on the corner of White Oak Drive in rural Alexander.
“It’s just upsetting,” Stephen Rice, who lives on the street, said. “My kids rode the same bus with her.”
The memorial honors 15-year-old Makayla Fortner, who died on White Oak Drive last June after dogs attacked her while she was attempting to care for them on a neighbor’s property.
“They took some of the dogs, but not all of them,” Lynda Coots, another resident, said, “And now there’s about probably nine or ten dogs back.”
That’s why residents reached out.
Rice provided video from his Ring doorbell camera showing dogs running through the street and barking at his own pets, which are behind a fence.
“They’re having more and more litters and raising more and more dogs,” Rice said.
Other videos show neighbors trying to shoo the dogs away, and the purported owners trying to herd them back.
Coots said it worries her, especially after last year.
“A lot of us around here are nervous and scared about them,” Coots said, “And, we don’t know when they’re going to be out. I don’t know when they’re going to be out to get in my car.”
Rice said the Saline County Sheriff’s Office told him to shoot the dogs if necessary.
The Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to have to shoot somebody else’s dogs,” Rice said.
That leaves neighbors without many solutions.
“Every time I’d go out and hear a bunch of dogs, it would bring that memory back to my mind of what happened,” Coots said.
“I would like to see their dogs contained or removed down to a manageable amount,” Rice added.
Fortner’s mother, Stephanie Wilkie, said that she’s aware of the issue and would also like action to be taken.
On Tuesday, she started an online petition to strengthen punishments for owners for ‘hoarding or neglect’ when an animal is involved in a deadly attack.
A family spokesperson representing Wilkie released the following statement.
“On behalf of Makayla’s family and friends, we are heartbroken that members of our community—including children—remain at risk of serious injury or death because of inadequate animal regulations and the failure to consistently enforce existing laws. We pray meaningful changes are made before another family experiences the devastating loss we suffered in this community one year ago.”
Saline County is currently working on an ordinance to address vicious stray dogs in the county, which could pass as soon as this month.
