Dead dogs found dumped in trash bags

HOUSTON The dogs' remains were found along Dodson and Friendly in northeast Houston.

The streets we walked near the Eastex Freeway were tough to go down because of the odor. The area is a known dumping ground for debris and pets, and now, some are alarmed that deceased dogs have been added to the list.

Dodson Street is only a block off the Eastex Freeway near Little York. But to walk down it and endure its stench makes it seem like a Third World street.

Over the weekend, four dead dogs were discovered just inches from the road, all in black bags.

"When there is a large number of them dumped at a single time, that kind of raises suspicions," Corridor Rescues volunteer Peter Klein said.

The area is known as the "corridor of cruelty."

Klein discovered the remains this weekend while trying to help the booming stray population in the area. In the last two years, volunteers have rescued about 200 dogs from the area and found them homes. Many times, the pets dumped are family pets.

"There have been a number of times, where we've come out and a stray will run right up to a car and wag his tail and basically treat you like as if he was someone's pet," Klein said. "Those are the ones that have very obviously been dumped fairly recently."

But being outmanned with only about eight animal control officers on the street to covers Houston's 264 square miles, BARC relies on law enforcement to bust anyone dumping illegally.

"We rely closely on the Houston Police Department and the Harris County deputies in particular and that's a relationship that's improved," said Chris Newport with BARC.

In the meantime, volunteers just hope the first step can be taken -- cleaning up the carcasses and debris.

"Most of this trash was not dumped last night so it has been out here for quite a while," Klein said. "If you started even simply by cleaning up the trash, mentalities might change."

The city's Solid Waste Management Department said it's a chronic problem and that it was cleaned twice in September and once already this month.

They also remind Houstonians that there are several free depository locations open seven days a week around the city.