Survey attempts to number Detroit's stray dogs

By COREY WILLIAMS

— Sep. 21 1:58 PM EDT

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  Volunteer Barbara Moran stands at northwest Detroit intersection looking for stray dogs, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013. Volunteers will be out Saturday and Sunday in an attempt to count the number of strays as part of an Internet documentary series. It also is seen as a first step in finding a way to humanely deal with what has become a disease and safety risk for residents as the strays breed, increasing their population even as the city's population falls. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  Volunteer Nicole Ryan looks over a field in Rouge Park in Detroit, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013 looking for stray dogs. Volunteers will be out Saturday and Sunday in an attempt to count the number of strays as part of an Internet documentary series. It also is seen as a first step in finding a way to humanely deal with what has become a disease and safety risk for residents as the strays breed, increasing their population even as the city's population falls. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  A stray dog is seen in southwest Detroit, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013. Volunteers will be out Saturday and Sunday in an attempt to count the number of strays as part of an Internet documentary series. It also is seen as a first step in finding a way to humanely deal with what has become a disease and safety risk for residents as the strays breed, increasing their population even as the city's population falls. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
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  Volunteers look over their observation points on a map before starting their day in Detroit, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013. Volunteers will be out Saturday and Sunday in an attempt to count the number of stray dogs as part of an Internet documentary series. It also is seen as a first step in finding a way to humanely deal with what has become a disease and safety risk for residents as the strays breed, increasing their population even as the city's population falls. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  In a Sept. 19 photo, a stray dog looks out from its makeshift shelter in east Detroit. Thousands of strays are believed to live among the more than 30,000 vacant houses and abandoned buildings that dot Detroit’s 139 square miles, said Tom McPhee, a filmmaker and executive director of the Ann Arbor-based World Animal Awareness Society. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  In a Sept. 19 photo, Rodney Stewart of the Detroit Dog Rescue comforts a stray dog in east Detroit. Thousands of strays are believed to live among the more than 30,000 vacant houses and abandoned buildings that dot Detroit’s 139 square miles, said Tom McPhee, a filmmaker and executive director of the Ann Arbor-based World Animal Awareness Society. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  In a Sept. 18 photo, Jessie Clarke of Detroit shows her scar tissue from dozens of stitches used to close a gash ripped by two pit bulls that attacked the 65-year-old outside her east side home in April. There are similar marks on one of her legs. “There was a lot of biting. There were a lot of stitches,” Clarke said from her dining room, looking through a window at the spot of the attack. She and other city residents are aware that Detroit is home to packs of dogs _ some vicious and others wary of people _ that have found safe haven in vacant houses and buildings. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  In a Sept. 19 photo, Rodney Stewart of the Detroit Dog Rescue confronts a stray dog in east Detroit. Thousands of strays are believed to live among the more than 30,000 vacant houses and abandoned buildings that dot Detroit’s 139 square miles, said Tom McPhee, a filmmaker and executive director of the Ann Arbor-based World Animal Awareness Society. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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  In a Sept. 19 photo, a stray dog looks out from its makeshift shelter in east Detroit. Thousands of strays are believed to live among the more than 30,000 vacant houses and abandoned buildings that dot Detroit’s 139 square miles, said Tom McPhee, a filmmaker and executive director of the Ann Arbor-based World Animal Awareness Society. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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DETROIT (AP) — It doesn't matter to Jessie Clarke how many stray or loose dogs are roaming the ruins of Detroit. After the 65-year-old was attacked by two pit bulls outside of her east side home in April, even one or two is too many.
She's not alone, as some Detroit residents complain that packs of dogs for years have terrorized various neighborhoods. So far, there's been no reliable way to know how many there are, though some have guessed it's in the thousands.
But Tom McPhee, a filmmaker and executive director of the Ann Arbor-based World Animal Awareness Society, hopes a two-day survey that started Saturday will put a number to the problem.
Clarke's left arm shows scar tissue from dozens of stitches used to close a gash ripped by the pit bulls. Similar marks are on one of her legs.
"There was a lot of biting. There were a lot of stitches," Clarke said from her dining room, looking through a window at the spot of the attack.
The more than 30,000 vacant houses and buildings that once were homes for Detroit residents now provide havens and shelter for the animals. McPhee said he plans to share the numbers to find a way to humanely deal with what has become a safety risk as the strays breed, increasing their population even as the city's population falls.
"With so many houses open that way, there's also a lot of rats," McPhee said. "That's when we start to have health problems as the rats and the dogs meet."
Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy protection in July. State-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr says the city needs to find dollars to hire more "dog catchers."
At 8 a.m. Saturday, volunteers fanned out across Detroit's 139 square miles. At least one team found the animals elusive. The first 90 minutes Barbara Moran and Nicole Ryan spent in a distressed west-side neighborhood turned up nothing.
"I hope we see some dogs," the 37-year-old Ryan said after making a half-dozen or so stops. "I love animals and I love to help them."
McPhee's survey is part of his American Strays research project, a documentary in syndication on the Internet. He hopes to use footage from this weekend to produce a feature-length documentary about Detroit's stray problem. He doesn't expect results anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Clarke just wants something done about the dogs.
"If you are not getting rid of them, what are you going to do?" she said. "You can't round them all up. You can tear down the vacant buildings, but where are the strays going to go? Up and down the street?"
About two months after she was attacked, a teenager reported being bitten by three dogs that had escaped a yard. And loose dogs forced postal officials to suspend deliveries for about six weeks in a four-block area in 2007.
The department that handles dog complaints and rounds up strays had only six animal control officers at the start of the year, according to a report by police officials. About 1,700 strays are captured annually.
Markela Reese, 29, can't remember the last time she saw problem dogs rounded up in her neighborhood, which is near a large wooded park. It's often used as a dumping ground for unwanted dogs, she says.
"About 12 dogs can be seen running around on any given day," she said Saturday. "They chase the deer."
The packs also are threats to people, she added.
"When taking my son to school I have to carry sticks and clubs," Reese said. "I don't know if they are going to bite or if they are hungry."
The Michigan Humane Society is not part of McPhee's survey. Spokesman Ryan McTigue said the group is interested in the study's results because it has no idea how many strays there are.
However, Daniel Carlisle, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Detroit Dog Rescue, is unconvinced. The organization has captured and found homes for about 150 stray dogs so far this year.
"I don't think that counting — and not rescuing — makes any sense," Carlisle said. "These dogs aren't going to stand here and wait for you to count them."