Man found dead in Channelview road after possible dog attack: HCSO

A man who was found dead in the road in Channelview early Friday morning is believed to have been attacked by at least one dog, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office says.

Authorities say someone driving home from work around 1 a.m. came across the man in the roadway next to a bicycle near Garlang Street and Sheldon Road.

FOLLOW THE LATEST HARRIS COUNTY NEWS

EMS responded to the scene and pronounced the man dead.

"This is a crisis in our city and how many people have to die before we do something?" asks Co-President of Houston PetSet Tena Lundquist-Faust and her sister and Co-President of Houston PetSet Tama Lundquist adds "We have so many homeless animals on our streets, and it has become a crisis not only for the animals but for the people as well". 

The Houston twins have worked for years with the non-profit Houston PetSet to keep stray and unsupervised dogs off Houston streets. "We fund 70 other animal non-profits every year to keep those animal rescues going, so they can pull animals from the shelters and off the streets, so they can keep the number of strays down, but it’s not enough, so we also work in legislation," says Lundquist. 

Even with so many people working to fix the problem of dangerous dogs roaming Houston roads, it’s still happening.

It’s not known how many dogs may have been involved in the attack. A detective said the area is known for having stray dogs, but he wasn’t aware of any recent reports. The sheriff’s office says no one has come forward to say they witnessed the attack, but the man does appear to have multiple bite marks. The medical examiner will determine the man’s cause of death.

"We believe it’s going to be an animal attack. He has multiple dog bites and at this time it’s an open investigation," explains HCSO Detective Wallace Wyatt.

This is the third deadly dog incident in a little more than a month, including the July mauling death of a man in Fort Bend County and a 16-year-old hit by a car and killed as he ran from a stray or unleashed dog in Alief.

MORE: Dogs captured after deadly mauling of 71-year-old man in Fort Bend Co.; police search for owners

"It breaks my heart. I’ve been bitten by a dog, and it’s terribly painful, and I can’t imagine being killed by a dog. I can’t imagine the fear," says Lundquist-Faust.  

There are security cameras in the area, and investigators will review the footage.

"Our shelters are so underfunded compared to other cities. If you want to do something personal foster a dog or a cat. Spay or neuter your pet too," Lundquist explains, and her sister adds, "That’s why we really applaud Mayor Turner for proposing this large bond to build a new facility that will increase capacity for the city of Houston. That’s what’s needed more resources".   

MORE CRIME-RELATED NEWS COVERAGE

The twins point out, that each of us can help eliminate the problem by never allowing our dogs to roam free and by finding a neighbor or colleague to care for a dog that you longer want because simply releasing pets onto the street to become a stray can clearly have deadly consequences.