Residents of several sections of Brooklyn are claiming that several pit bulls are on the loose in their areas and are putting pets and people at risk. A local representative has said authorities need to get their acts together and do what they can to get the dogs removed so as to prevent the possibility of a dog attack in the future.

Although pit bull advocates claim the breeds is misunderstood and that individual dogs are only vicious because they are raised that way, it certainly seems as though there are more reports of pit bull attacks than that are of attacks by any other breed of dog.

The dogs that are allegedly running free through Brooklyn are said to have attacked a 70-year-old woman and killed or injured several neighborhood dogs.

The city's animal control department said it has received six calls since April of last year pertaining to dogs on the loose, but its staff members have never been able to catch them, or even observe them. A spokesman for the agency said if a resident sees what he or she believes to be a vicious dog that is a threat to public safety, he or she should call 911 immediately.

No one knows quite where the dogs have come from, or whether they are strays or someone's pets. If it is learned that these dogs do belong to someone, that person could face liability for the injuries done to the 70-year-old woman. All pet owners must make sure their dogs can behave responsibly in public and judging by these reports, these dogs are certainly not doing that.

Source: CBS New York, "Stray Pit Bull Terrorizing Residents In Midwood and Borough Park," Jan. 25, 2012