A 9-year-old Canutillo boy was attacked by his neighbor's dog Tuesday evening and his father told KFOX14 the attack stems from a bigger problem of loose dogs in the neighborhood.

"He started biting me," Alexander Robles-Flores said. "I got scared."

Robles-Flores sustained injuries to his upper leg following the attack and was taken to a nearby hospital. He was released later the same evening.

Robles-Flores said he blocked a 2-year-old girl who initially seemed to be the dog's target.

"Sooner or later it's going to be a smaller child or it's going to be a greater injury," Joel Gomez said about his son's attack.

Gomez said he has called animal control multiple times to complain about loose animals in the neighborhood.

A KFOX14 camera crew caught several loose dogs roaming Fourth Street Wednesday.

"It's been several cases that we actually called them to let them know about loose dogs on the streets trespassing," Gomez said.

"The sherrif's animal control services has an influx of calls regarding animal-related calls," El Paso County Sherriff's Department spokesperson Angelica Becerra said.

Becerra said there are currently two animal control officers and one vacancy in the department.

According to the Sherrif's Department, El Paso County has no leash laws, so, even if the loose animals have owners, they are not in violation.

Gomez said the laws need to be stricter.

"We don't want to have any fatalities on the street," Gomez said.

The El Paso County Sherrif's Department did not take the dog involved in Tuesday's attack away from its owner and instead ordered the animal quarantined outside its home.

The Sheriff's Department said it was unnecessary to confiscate the animal because it has an owner and may be a puppy.

KFOX14 tried speaking with the dog's owner, but only a woman who identified herself as the owner's grandmother answered the door.

"He jumped on the wall," Consuelo Garcia said. "I don't know how he got out."

Becerra said Robles-Flores' attack is still under investigation.

Becerra said the county is hoping to pass an ordinance in the future requiring leashes for pets.