Stray dogs kill animals on Shepherd horse farm

SHEPHERD, TX (KTRK) -- The San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office is investigating a Shepherd woman's complaint about a dog pack that attacked and killed her rescue horse and donkey.

Kara Bell started a horse rescue last year, and since then, has placed 23 horses in safe homes.

"There's been some times where we show up here and there's horses tied to our hitching post and we have no idea who they belong to but they drop them off because they know they'll be taken care of," said Bell.

Tuesday morning, Bell found one of her rescue colts and a donkey dead, after being attacked by a pack of 5 dogs.

"Two of them were fighting over her and one of them was tearing at her head," she described. "I saw him laying there in the stall and I just dropped to my knees and started screaming."

Bell filed a report with the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office. The area has only one animal control officer.

"These stray dogs pack up, move about through the county-- any place where they can find food," said Chief Deputy Joe Schultea. "It's a problem everywhere in San Jacinto County."

Bell and her neighbors want more accountability. The Sheriff's Office needs more manpower.

"Simply making that report to the dispatcher will help us justify gaining more positions to deal with this problem in the future," said Dep. Schultea.

"I wanted a place for horses where they could come and feel what it means to be loved," said Bell. "I didn't want them to come here to get attacked and killed by stray dogs."