The Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office has responded to a letter printed in the Ville Platte Gazette’s March 21, 2019 edition.
In the letter to the editor, Evangeline Parish resident Peggy Cavins voiced concerns over a situation that she says she has been dealing with for months involving a pit bull owned by Cavins’ neighbor.
Cavins’ struggles began back in December when her neighbor’s pit bull dug under her fence, proceeded to enter Cavins’ home through Cavins’ doggy door and then killed her small dog.
Even after facing such heartache with having her dog killed and others attacked, Cavins said her goal is not to see that the pit bull is put to sleep. The animal lover said, “I don’t want them to kill the pit bull. I just want the owners to properly restrain their dog.”
In the police reports from the first incident on December 11, the pit bull owner blamed Cavins’ dogs for what occurred, stating her “dog broke the leash and chased her (Cavins) dogs, because her (Cavins) dogs were barking at” the pit bull.
Following the second incident on December 17, 2018 where the pitbull once again went into Cavins’ home, the owners of the pit bull told law enforcement that the “animal had been removed from the neighborhood and should not be a problem from this point on.”
However, according to Cavins the dog is back and was recently trying to enter her yard again.
In response to Cavins’ letter, Major Jeremy Mitchell with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office said they have done everything they are required to do including filing two reports for the incidents where the pit bull went into Cavins’ home and yard.
However in the third and most recent incident where Cavins called the EPSO to make a complaint about the dog trying to get into her yard, Mitchell said a deputy was sent to Cavins’ home, but the dog was not in her yard and therefore they could not do anything. While responding to this matter, Captain Dwayne Ledoux, with the EPSO, said they were unable to make contact with the owner and did not see the pit bull anywhere.
In the first incident where the pit bull killed Cavins’ dog and wounded several others, Mitchell said the owners of the dog were cited for dogs at large prohibited, and a court case in regard to this mater is pending.
Since having her dog killed and others attacked, Cavins said she and her husband have added cement to the bottom of their backyard fence, but she said the pit bull continues to attempt to get into her yard. She also said she worries what happened in December could happen again.
While Cavins expressed frustration with law enforcement, she also said she has reached out to her police juror concerning this matter, but has received no response.
June 30, 2026
