MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Since the start of the year, Merced County Animal Services has responded to nearly 240 stray dog service calls and more than 30 animal bites. The dogs are attacking people, livestock, and other dogs. To mitigate this issue, the county has launched an Animal Serv ices Enforcement Campaign.  "I would say, like this beginning yea,r it's been more like a problem because we have new people moving to the area and we are starting to see more big animals," said a resident who wanted to remain anonymous.  Dog bite surge prompts enforcement campaign in Merced County It's a safety concern for the public, one that Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke is taking very seriously. "We are going to start enforcing and it's going to be zero tolerance," he said. For the month of April, the County's Animal Services launched an animal enforcement campaign in the areas of Beachwood and McSwain. "Citations are going to start being issued and people need to take responsibility," Warnke said. Fines will be issued if a dog is caught running loose, is unvaccinated, is not licensed with the county, or is found tied to a fixed object like a tree or fence. "And if we do collect the dog that has a chip and we contact the owner and the owner says, 'I don't want it anymore.' Well, there's a misdemeanor for abandonment," Warnke said. On Beachwood Drive, the resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, says she sees children at the bus stop every morning, trying to get away from the stray dogs. "I have a business where parents drop off the kids every morning. So that's a concern for me because they have the babies," she said. The resident even said that parents are afraid to get out of their cars because there are dogs in her driveway. "I probably won't be the first person and the last one that has the problem that affects my business." Since the start of the year, Merced County Animal Services has received over 100 calls regarding dogs at large in the Merced area, along with more than 20 reports of animal bites. In the Atwater/Winton area, animal services have received more than 130 calls for dogs at large and about 10 animal bites. "If you have a chronic dog in the area that just needs to be captured, contact my Animal Services Bureau, and we have kennel traps," Warnke said.  ...read more read less