Dogs gone wild; packs of Chihuahuas roam Maryvale streets

Who let the dogs out? apparently a lot of people in Maryvale. Maricopa county animal care and control says packs of Chihuahuas are roaming the streets and some people in the area aren't happy about it.

Maricopa county animal care and control says last year it received 6,000 calls for service from Maryvale that's twice as many as from a similar-sized area in nearby Glendale and three times as many compared to areas in Chandler and Gilbert.

Dogs unleashed and loose on the street, a common sight in Maryvale in West Phoenix, near 35th avenue and McDowell.

"Yeah a lot of them they are out here chasing kids or going yard to yard...anywhere in groups of eight to twelve just running around," said Ray Rios a Maryvale resident.

Frank Garcia has also seen the packs, "Well the last time I seen six or seven Chihuahuas... and big dogs running with the Chihuahua's in a pack running every single day," he said.

So what is bad about this situation? One thing is it makes it hard for kids to walk to school without being hassled by ten to fifteen dogs.

Maricopa County Animal Control spokesperson Melissa Gable explained the problem, "obviously you have the deal with feces and is unsanitary and all these strays everyone is at risk for dog bites," she said.

The solution? spay or neuter your pet and keep it on a leash.

Frank Garcia takes care of his Chihuahua "cha-cha" the right way, in fact, this is one lucky dog. "She eats ice cream not every day once in awhile, she eats tortillas," said Garcia.