Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Feral Shih Tzus roam Georgia condo complex

MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A small pack of feral, and very small, Shih Tzus has been evading capture at a Georgia condominium complex.

The group of four dogs first showed up at the Covered Bridge complex in Cobb County in the Atlanta suburbs around Thanksgiving. Since then, two of them have disappeared, including one believed to have been killed by a car.

The two remaining dogs appear to have reverted to their wild roots as the alpha male and female of their own small wolf pack -- albeit wolves that weigh about 7 pounds each. They have successfully evaded efforts by Covered Bridge residents, the manager and Cobb County animal control officers to trap them, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Tranquilizer guns are, apparently, not in order because they are designed for larger animals.

Gabriella Toth, a resident, is trying to catch the dogs with kindness -- providing food, water and even a dog house. She hopes eventually to give them a permanent home.

"People act as if they are 400-pound tigers," she said. "They bark a lot, but they are scared and don't know what else to do."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.

No comments: