MACON, Ga. — Lots of Central Georgians are dog lovers, but when a pack of strays appear aggressive, it puts some people on edge.
In one Macon neighborhood, people report several wild dogs, including pit bulls, bulldogs and a husky, roaming the streets near Houston Avenue.
Some neighbors, like Howard Hamilton, say the area is becoming home turf for the pack of strays.
Several neighbors 13WMAZ spoke to say they're frustrated with animal control's lack of response.
During the middle of our interview with Hamilton, a small black puppy appeared from a hole in a fence in Hamilton's backyard.
"I don't know where it came from," Hamilton said. "Nobody claims these dogs."
Growing up, Hamilton said he loved dogs and still does. He explained he handled a dog when he served in the army in the late 80s.
Yet, he wonders: Who let the dogs out in his neighborhood?
"They've gotten used to doing this kind of behavior because no one is coming out and correcting it," Hamilton said.
He's been sniffing around for a solution while trying to keep track of each hound.
One neighbor said there used to be only four dogs, but since the problem isn't taken care of, they're having pups.
Now, they're counting at least six in front of an abandoned home behind Hamilton's property.
"These are pretty big dogs," Hamilton said. "Two of them got aggressive with me already."
One time, while he was getting the mail, Hamilton said two dogs ambushed him.
"They saw me and went 'RUH RUH RUH,'" Hamilton said. "I went, 'Oh my God.'"
Since then, the army veteran said he leaves the house with a gun to protect himself and his girlfriend.
Hamilton explained that she leaves for work around 4:30 a.m. on weekdays. Every time she steps out of the house, there's always a dog sleeping on their front lawn; when it wakes up, it becomes aggressive, so Hamilton said he has to shoo it away.
Another time, while he was mowing the lawn, Hamilton said he noticed a husky come out of the woods in front of his home. He said he turned the lawnmower off and stood his ground so the dog would leave him alone.
"I went directly to my side firearm, went like this," Hamilton said, showing how he reached for the gun he keeps on his person. "I don't know if dogs know I got a gun, but he stopped, looked, and ran off."
There's no puppy love on Lyons Street, but the situation's rough there.
Though he keeps himself armed, Hamilton insists he doesn't want to harm any living thing.
"I don't wanna hurt these dogs," he said.
While 13WMAZ began filming the street with a GoPro Camera, a neighbor flagged us down and asked if we were from Macon-Bibb County Animal Welfare.
She lives across the street from the abandoned house where dogs claim their territory. She told us she's been trying to reach animal control for a while.
Hamilton said he called 13WMAZ after months of unsuccessful calls to animal control.
"There's no response," he said. "Out of four times, one time they called me back, said they'll be out there in a little bit, never showed up."
We tried calling animal control after Hamilton's interview at 9:17 a.m.; however, the only option we had was to leave a message.
The pre-recorded message said, "Unfortunately, our phones are not monitored during the day as we're in the field... We'll get back to you as soon as we can. Please note all voicemails are checked every 24 hours."
"I hope they're not ignoring the public because those guys took an oath like we did just to their jobs," Hamilton said. "I hope they get this thing under control before somebody gets bit or killed."