Dogs, coyotes, a longhorn? 40 reports of loose animals on Trinity Trails in 5 years
There have been fewer than 40 reports of loose animals on the Trinity Trails and at least five reports of people being bitten or attacked by dogs since January 2014, according to records from Fort Worth Animal Control.
Safety on the trails came into question after a 26-year-old Olympic running qualifier was attacked by a loose pit bull on March 3.
The Trinity Trails extend through Fort Worth for 72 miles along the Trinity River. Made for hikers, bikers, runners and horseback riders, they connect major areas such as downtown, the TCU/Fort Worth Zoo area and Clearfork.
A report from Fort Worth Animal Control says that Caitlin Keen was near the South Hulen Street bridge when she was bitten and dragged by a dog that got loose from a nearby camp where its owner lived. She was hospitalized with bites and scratches along the side of her body.
The owner told authorities that she is a train hopper and the dog was tethered to her camp, but got loose. The dog was up to date on shots and hadn’t bitten anyone before that day, the report says.
Four other people have reported being bitten on the trails since 2014:
▪ In May 2014, a woman said she was bitten on the hand by a loose dog. Animal Control tried to find the dog for a week but was unable.
▪ In February 2015, a man said his dog was attacked by a dog that was running loose near White Settlement Road.
▪ Then, in January 2016, a runner reported that she was attacked by four wild dogs, but she didn’t suffer any injuries. She screamed and whipped her leash around to keep them away. Animal Control officers were able to capture two of the dogs, but the other two eluded them for months. This happened in the 1800 block of Rogers Parkway.
▪ In October of that year, a man said his dog was attacked by another dog that was with its owner, but was not on a leash.
Of the reports of loose animals, 13 involved at least two or more dogs. On Jan. 15, 2016, a pack of four stray dogs were aggressively trying to attack runners. When Animal Control officers got to the 2700 block of South Hulen, where the pack was reported, the dogs were nowhere to be found.
Fort Worth operates on loosely worded leash laws, but in city parks — including the trails — all dogs must be leashed.
In other areas of the city, dogs must be kept restrained, but no leash or specific control is required. The updated ordinance requires owners to have immediate control of a dog by a leash or through voice, gesture or other means, according to the city’s website.
On March 6, the Fort Worth Police Department’s bike patrol said on Instagram that they spend time educating and enforcing leash laws while on the trails.
“There are only a few officers to cover the 70+ miles of trail and parks,” the post said.
Fort Worth Police Officer Buddy Calzada said the department has a motor unit that they use to monitor the Trinity Trails along with their downtown and west division bike officers.
“The trails do have various site location markers throughout and our officers also have those markers on our Mobile Data Computers,” he said. “We would recommend that as citizens use the trails that they are aware of their locations at all times with these markers.”
Animal Control records also contained some oddities — there were two reports of coyotes being spotted. The first happened in January 2015 in the 3700 block of Rockwood Park Drive. The second was reported in June 2017, but an address along the trail wasn’t reported. At least two coyotes were seen off the trails. Officers weren’t able to find them.
A longhorn was seen walking on the trail on June 21, 2017 near White Settlement and the Isbell Bridge.
This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Dogs, coyotes, a longhorn? 40 reports of loose animals on Trinity Trails in 5 years."