Feral dog pack terrorizes Grand Lake, kills resident's dog

Several people near Grand Lake say they are living in fear of packs of feral dogs.

Residents are now taking precautions and calling on local law enforcement to take care of the problem. 

Caught on Camera

Surveillance video and photos show a pack of feral dogs roaming around the Grand Lake Area. In one video captured by resident Mike Worth, a pack of around nine dogs can be seen running across his property. He says he's used to seeing animals in that area but has never seen a dog pack of that size.

“This kind of concerned me because it's a pack of dogs and I know what a pack will do,” Worth said.

Several locals have reported seeing the dogs around, with some even having some close interactions.

A Pet Owner's Nightmare 

John Nielsen lives in the same area and says he let his dogs outside one morning. When he went to let them back in, he heard some vicious barking. He then saw his 14-year-old dog was in trouble. When he went to investigate, he saw his dog, Virgil, lying in the street and fighting off a dog pack. 

"He was suffering horribly. He had been attacked on his face, his mouth, his ears, his legs; he was bleeding profusely," Nielsen said. 

Nielsen says he called 911 asking if someone could put Virgil out of his misery, but no one would.

That's when he says he was left with no choice, and he then put his dog down with a gun. He says it was the hardest decision he's ever made. 

“I’m very distraught because this dog has been up here on this property for over 14 years and I just hated to see him go like this,” he said.

A Community on Edge

The community is now disturbed after a series of similar attacks. Nielsen says the dog pack has attacked and killed cattle, a donkey, and cats and dogs. He says he no longer walks his property without a handgun and has heard of others doing the same. He believes it's only a matter of time until a human is targeted, mauled or killed.

"This is a huge concern, and people are losing sleep over this... they’re keeping their animals inside," he said. 

The Call for Action 

Nielsen says he is planning to create a community text thread where residents can share where the dogs are spotted and warn people. He and Worth have both tried contacting the Delaware County Sheriff's Office to see if they can help but were told there's really nothing they can do.

“We can’t just go around indiscriminately shooting dogs; this has to be taken care of professionally,” said Nielsen.