THOMASVILLE- Thomas County residents addressed the Thomas County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning, demanding animal control take action about the vicious dogs that have reportedly killed numerous cats and a duck.

Krysta Joyner, alongside Carol Burgess, Mary Ann Spangle, and Francis Henderson Goldberg all provided instances of vicious, roaming dogs in their neighborhood.

Joyner, who resides off Pinetree Blvd., told Commissioners her neighbor who has a total of 13 dogs, kept allowing his dogs to kill her animals.

Joyner said she eventually had to take matters into her own hands, killing seven of the dogs who were loose on her property. According to Joyner, the neighbor still refused to take action, and the remaining dogs have continued to wreak havoc on her property and pets.

Joyner told Commissioners she resulted to taking her neighbor to Small Claims Court, where he refused to show up, and just paid the fine.

While this may be the solution for Joyner, her neighbor Spangle fears shooting the dogs, saying that is not her place, but she is told time and time again to just shoot the dogs.

Joyner and Spangle are not the only people who are dismayed by the lack of owner oversight.

Burgess shared with the Commissioners that five of her cats have been killed by vicious dogs, with her last cat dying nearly a year ago.

She told Commissioners that she had taken the issue to Animal Control Captain Chuck McDonald, but was met with the insinuation that it was her fault her cats were killed.

“They were in my yard, on my own property,” she assured.

Since then, she has moved her outdoor cats inside, despite the animals clawing to be outside.

“I now have to spend money to fence the property to keep these dogs out,” she said.

Burgess said she has played the role of Animal Control, learning who the dogs belong to, when Animal Control fails to respond, even recording videos of the dogs attacking and killing cats. Still, nothing has been done.

“They’re coming from a lower-income area,” she said. “They are out there just walking the street, having puppies, wandering around, and it needs to be addressed.”

Burgess not only has concerns for the violence the dogs are displaying, but shared she believes the dogs have likely not been properly vaccinated for Rabies and are not fixed, due to their rapid litters of puppies.

“These dogs meet the qualifications for the Dangerous Dogs Act,” she said. “They are killing other people’s pets, attacking other dogs, and we just don’t understand why Animal Control is not doing their job.”

Goldberg also had her pet attacked.

Goldberg, who resides in the N. Dawson St. area, informed Commissioners she has seen packs of dogs running through the street, near the Lapham-Patterson House and History Center, but she never imagined they would kill her pet duck.

“It was very traumatic for me,” she said. “Not only did I witness it in broad daylight, but I have Google Cameras of the entire attack on my duck.”

Goldberg explained she has not resided in Thomasville long, moving to the area in May.

“I thought this was such a beautiful place and that I could live peacefully, but then I found out about these dogs and that I was not the only person who had an issue with these dogs,” she said.

Goldberg expressed concern for the families of young children who live and walk the streets of the neighborhood daily, sharing it is only a matter of time before a child is attacked, just as Joyner had been when trying to fend herself off from one of the dogs on her property.

Joyner reportedly put her foot out to prevent the dogs from coming any closer, when the dog bit a hole through her shoe and took a chunk out of her foot.

Thomas County Sheriff Tim Watkins was in attendance at the meeting and met with the women individually, following their complaint to the Commissioners.

He obtained the video from Goldberg and has since had Deputies, investigators, and drug agents ride the streets in search of the dogs to no avail. He has also visited the residence where Joyner and Spangle believed the dog that attacked Joyner came from.

“That individual did have a similar brown dog, but it was not it,” Watkins said. “However, we did take Animal Control out there and seize dogs, because they had more than four.”

According to Watkins, residents in the City of Thomasville cannot have more than four dogs. There is a special exception for puppies and kennels, but this owner did not fall into either of those categories.

Watkins assured the women and the Commissioners that Animal Control is doing everything it can to prevent these types of situations.

Since January 1, 2025, Animal Control has responded to more than 614 calls. Beyond responding to these calls, the small unit of three officers is continuing to take care of these dogs, ensuring they have their shots and are well-kept and fed at the new animal shelter.