Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway made it sound so easy when he stated at a recent City Council meeting in southern Dallas: If you encounter a loose dog, call 311. If that doesn't get results, he added, "Escalate to 911."

Those services are great for dealing with a vicious dog after it has attacked, but they're lousy at preventing attacks from occurring in the first place. The city's bureaucracy is too cumbersome and its Animal Control staff stretched far too thinly to adequately deal with the vicious dogs roaming our streets. The tragedy of this situation is that many people will be bitten and emotionally scarred for life before the City Council confronts this problem. What are you waiting for?

Mr. Caraway's campaign helps, especially since his southern Dallas district is heavily infested with dangerous dogs. But before telling people to act, he needs to understand the legal process in its full bureaucratic glory.

I was attacked on my street by an unleashed pit-bull mix on Feb. 21. The dog is owned by a neighbor who has repeatedly let it run free. By the time this dog attacked me, Animal Control had received at least five previous complaints about him.

I was initially pleased by authorities' quick response after the attack. Within minutes, four police cars were dispatched. An Animal Control van arrived shortly afterward, removing the dog for a 10-day quarantine.

But the owner was unapologetic, yelling all kinds of expletives at me for phoning the police. Because it was obvious she would do nothing to restrain her dog, I needed to make sure authorities followed up.

It took two weeks and about 20 phone calls before Animal Control finally arranged a "dangerous dog" hearing. To bolster my case, I had to go door-to-door, begging neighbors to testify about the terror this dog had previously caused. Two neighbors swore affidavits that the dog had come within inches of attacking their children – including toddlers.

At the April 16 hearing, I presented photos of my dog-bite wounds and $160 in medical bills. The dog's owner didn't bother to attend. The hearing officer, Dallas Animal Services interim manager Paul Curington, issued a dangerous-dog ruling and imposed the maximum sanction, ordering the owner to post "dangerous dog" signs around her property, build a containment fence and purchase a $100,000 insurance policy.

Today, her yard remains unfenced. No signs are posted. The dog continues to roam unleashed along with another pit-bull puppy she's since purchased. Other neighbors and I have called 311 to complain, only to be told that an Animal Control officer must witness the violation before action can be taken. Despite all my efforts, the dog's owner continues to behave with impunity.

In the meantime, another colleague in our office has been attacked by a vicious dog in her neighborhood. Shockingly, an Animal Control officer who tried to seize that dog departed empty-handed because the owner refused to surrender it.

How did the rules become so twisted that authorities seem powerless to act? Why do the rules work against the victims while giving the owners of vicious dogs wide latitude to escape responsibility and criminal liability?

I've examined the city's proposed changes to the dangerous-dog ordinance, and I'm appalled. At a minimum, the state needs to dump its "one free bite" rule, and Dallas should ascribe an automatic dangerous-dog designation to all pit bulls and Rottweilers. They are responsible for half of serious dog attacks nationwide even though they represent only a small percentage of the dog population.

Denver has banned pit bulls altogether – and successfully defended the ban in court. Dallas prefers a fire-hydrant approach. Stand there and do nothing while vicious dogs and their owners mark their turf.

The scars on my leg – inflicted by a pit bull that's still running free – are evidence enough that someone is hiding behind the fence on this issue. And it sure as heck isn't the dog.

Tod Robberson is an editorial writer for The Dallas Morning News. This column reflects his personal opinion. His e-mail address is trobberson@dallasnews.com.