Fannie Pearl Pharms was a gentle, compassionate elderly woman who was always eager to spread her love to everyone she met. However, all ended suddenly when her Sunnyside neighbor’s dogs mauled her to death.
Cynthia Pharms, a longtime activist from Houston, links the tragedy to the beginnings of her diverse activity. Her aunt was Fannie Pearl Pharms.
She was a devout woman who simply went to work, church, and home each day. Dogs were eating people, so I had to advocate for legislation to be passed, Pharms remarked.
She was slain in the neighborhood by a Rottweiler and two pit bulls. “I didn’t realize that there were so many young people and seniors out here who needed help with dog attacks until after my aunt was killed,” Pharms said. The neighborhood’s residents alerted the neighbors about those dogs for several days, but nothing was done.
NATIONAL RANKING
For the second consecutive year, California and Texas were at the top of the USPS’s national listing of cities with the highest number of dog attacks on mail carriers in 2023.
In 2023, postal workers in Los Angeles saw 65 attacks, while those in Houston experienced 56. There were 411 attacks on Texas mail carriers statewide, compared to 727 in California.
However, dog attacks on non-postal workers are not included in those figures.
The family dogs in Los Angeles County, California, attacked and killed a five-year-old child at their house at the beginning of December.
The youngster had spent her entire childhood interacting with the dogs, a 6-year-old Rottweiler mix and a 10-year-old Rottweiler.
Statistics on dog attacks in the general population are scarce, if they exist at all. However, it’s easy to locate instances of dog attacks that have caused severe injuries, trauma, and even fatalities in Houston and around the state.
HOUSTON
A loose pit bull assaulted a mother wheeling a two-year-old in a stroller in the 20900 block of Manon Lane in North Harris County towards the end of August. The toddler and the mother who attempted to stop the dog were assaulted and bitten by the dog. Constable Mark Herman of Harris County Precinct 4 reported that Animal Control had taken the dog into custody.
In July, three Rottweilers from a family mauled a two-year-old girl in the 2500 block of Milwaukee Street, causing her to die in the relative’s house. Additionally, a neighbor’s pit bull assaulted Christian Andres, age six, in February after it allegedly broke off its tether. After being bitten several times, the first-grader had to stay in the hospital for three weeks and be restrained to a wheelchair.
CLEVELAND, TX
A few days prior to that catastrophe in California, an ABC13 story revealed that three dog attacks in two days had left numerous people of Cleveland, Texas (Liberty County) living in fear.
Emily Curtis, one of those residents, reported that on Thanksgiving, a group of seven dogs surrounded her just outside her house. She claims that three of the dogs bit her buttocks, arms, and legs.
The same group of dogs allegedly assaulted a FedEx delivery driver and another local resident the day before.
Curtis also mentioned that the previous day, her neighbors had been assaulted by the same canines.
I’m alert. “I have a hammer and a mace,” Curtis remarked. Before I go outdoors, I go upstairs and check the street to make sure there are no dogs.
According to Curtis, these creatures were still at large at the time this piece was published, and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office has been dreadfully ineffective at apprehending them.
According to Curtis, they simply disregard the situation, and their ignorance made this possible.
At the time of publication, the Defender has not heard back from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office regarding their request for comments.
BRAZORIA COUNTY
Another dog attack occurred recently when a household dog attacked a three-year-old boy in Brazoria County, injuring his back and legs.
The toddler was taken to the hospital by Life Flight because of the severity of the injuries, even though they weren’t life-threatening. Although two dogs were found in the house, investigators are unsure if the youngster was attacked by both of them. Nevertheless, the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office of Animal Welfare took both dogs into custody.
LOCAL AND STATE ACTIONS
A legislation against dog bites was not passed after my aunt was killed. In Texas, you had to get bitten by a dog twice before you could do anything about it. So, my support group and I joined together, and we had foot soldiers who started petitions all around Texas. According to Pharms, we had to visit the State Legislature twice for it, and I spoke at numerous town hall meetings and appeared in the media on TV and radio.
Pharms is referring to House Bill 1355, which was passed following her group’s second attempt in Austin. She claims that between the initial attempt to pass the Dog Bill and its eventual passage in 2007, eight to ten more persons in the state lost their lives to dog attacks.
According to Pharms, those deaths might have been avoided if the bill had been approved the first time.
Dog owners who harmed people faced harsher punishments under House Bill 1355. The bill, which became known as Lillian’s Law, was supported by Senator Eliot Shapleigh in the Texas Senate.
The bill was named in honor of Lillian Stiles, a 76-year-old lady from Thorndale, Texas, who was killed on November 26, 2005, while riding a lawnmower in her front yard. Without Pharms’ support, it may never have passed.
MORE LOCAL ACTIONS
BARC (3200 Carr St., Houston, 77026) increased the number of ways Houstonians might turn in their owned and stray animals in April of this year.
More than 5,000 more calls for service were made to BARC animal enforcement officers in 2023 than in 2022, totaling 59,573 calls. “I’m once again proud of our staff for being proactive and expanding intake to further address the stray animal crisis in Houston,” said Jarrad Mears, director of the BARC Shelter, adding that the increase in call volume is a sign of the growing needs of our community.
According to Mears, BARC received 19,209 stray pets overall, primarily dogs and cats, which was more than any other municipal shelter in the Houston region.
It is hoped that more animals in shelters will result in more dogs finding homes and fewer possible dog attacks by stray dogs.
But the tragedy of this year’s dog attacks demonstrate that more work has to be done.
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ANIMAL SHELTER / ANIMAL CONTROL / BARC INFO
- Houston Police Animal Control 713.884.3131
- Pet Adoptions:
- Customer Service: 832.395.9084 or 311
- If you would like to report a stray dog, dangerous dog, or any other complaint to Animal Control, please call 311.
