Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockport resident urges Aransas County to enforce animal-control rules after years of roaming dogs
Summary
A Rockport-area resident told the Commissioners Court that a pack of unrestrained dogs has terrorized neighbors since 2022, attacked property and residents, and that enforcement of Aransas County's animal-control order is needed to prevent another fatality.
A Rockport-area resident told the Aransas County Commissioners Court that a pack of unrestrained dogs has roamed her neighborhood for nearly four years and that county enforcement has been inadequate.
"This is no longer a nuisance. It's a public safety issue for residents, for motorists, and even for county and federal employees delivering mail," Miracle Jimenez said during the public-comment period, asking the court to direct animal control and the sheriff's office to enforce restraint provisions already on the books.
Jimenez said about eight to 10 adult dogs and a litter of five puppies have repeatedly trespassed on neighbors' property, attacked chickens, chased a jogger and harassed a caregiver. She said she has been documenting the problem since January 2022 with photos and videos and cited Aransas County Animal Control Order O-3-2024 and the Texas Health and Safety Code as the legal basis for enforcement.
Commissioners did not take immediate enforcement action during the meeting; the judge pro tem advised Jimenez to follow up with the county commissioner for her area and to request the matter be placed on a future agenda. Jimenez warned the court that past failures to control roaming dogs have had fatal consequences, citing the 2023 case of Lewis Flores, who was killed by loose dogs in Rockport.
The court's minutes record no new directive or emergency enforcement order at the session's close. Commissioners briefly acknowledged the complaint before moving on to the posted agenda. The meeting record shows the court later convened a closed session on litigation and other matters but no public record of a new animal-control directive was made that day.
Next steps: Jimenez asked the court to formally review the situation and to instruct county animal-control officers and the sheriff's office to enforce existing restraint rules; the court recommended she contact her commissioner and requested the matter be placed on a future agenda if unresolved.
