Dogs seem to have taken control of Guymon's streets in recent weeks. The loose animals, mostly Pit Bulls, have attacked other animals and menaced walkers, joggers and kids at play.

The Guymon Police Department is asking dog owners to keep the animals penned up in their yards.

"With all the things the police department has to deal with in the course of a day, this is by far one of the easiest things to correct if owners of animals will just keep them under control and not let them run loose or bark all night, keeping their neighbors up," Police Chief Eddie Adamson said. "What we are talking about is a quality of life issue as well as a safety issue."

Last week there was a report of a loose pit bull that ended up on the Academy Elementary School campus during the school day.

"We all know someone didn't keep their pit bull up last week and it ended up on a school campus and luckily no one was hurt but it could have been a tragedy and that is clearly a safety issue," Adamson said. "But it is also a nuisance issue when a hard working person has to lay awake at night listening to a dog bark because their owner won't keep them under control."

The fine for allowing an animal to either run at large or cause a disturbance such as barking is $194.

Animal control and police officers have bee instructed to deal with complaints when they come in and issue tickets whenever a chargeable offense occurs.

"We have directed the officers to investigate all of the complaints but a lot of times the dogs have quit barking by the time an officer gets there," Adamson said. "However, anyone can file a complaint in court if they are being bothered by barking dogs at night and they know who owns them, and that is probably the best venue to have this dealt with since it is a nuisance to the homeowners in the neighborhood."

Nuisance is one thing — vicious animals are a whole other matter.

Police warn that keeping a vicious animal is a much more serious offense that may result in a fine to the owner and the animal being destroyed.

"Vicious animals in the city are a serious safety concern for everyone and that is why the ordinance allows anyone to kill an animal in self defense that is trying to bite them or attack them or another person," Adamson said.

City ordinance 4-122 (A) states that any person may kill an animal in self defense or in defense of another when the animal without undue provocation, bites him or the other, or attacks, or attempts to bite or attack, him or the other in such a manner that an ordinarily prudent person would be led to believe that the person toward whom the efforts of the animal directed is about to bite or otherwise physically harm.

The municipal court fine for keeping a vicious animal in the city is $394 and the animal may be ordered destroyed by the court.

"We are asking everyone to take control of their animals so they do not become a nuisance to their neighbors or a safety problem for the city, and if everyone does this, the problem will simply cease to exist," Adamson said.