A wild dog pack has been terrorizing a North Carolina town. Some have now been captured.

A pack of wild dogs has been putting residents of a small northeastern North Carolina town on high alert.

Authorities in Scotland Neck on Sunday announced plans to tranquilize the dogs. By Monday, they announced that they had captured the leader of the pack and another dog in the town that's about 85 miles northeast of Raleigh.

According to a Facebook post from the Scotland Neck Police Department, the dogs have been “particularly troubling for many residents." They've been terrorizing the community for nearly two years by rummaging through trash, wrecking abandoned houses, and chasing and attacking pets, Scotland Neck Police Chief Tommy Parker told Paste BN Monday afternoon.

"The reality is that many cats, chickens, and small pets have been lost to these dogs," Parker said.

The department has worked with Halifax County Animal Control to track the dogs, who they believe are abandoned pets who have adapted to survive on their own. The pack was initially made up of about eight dogs. As of Monday afternoon, police think there are only about three left.

The alpha dog, a "highly aggressive" pit mix with a history of killing small animals, was captured around 1 p.m. Monday, and a second dog in the group was captured at 2:30 p.m. using a tranquilizer rifle, Chief Parker told Paste BN. He added that two other dogs were captured about a month ago.

Police: Remaining dogs still need to be captured

According to authorities, animal control officers and other personnel have tried multiple times to capture the dogs, including setting live traps for them. 

"These are wire cages with doors that fall when the dog enters the cage," Parker told Paste BN. "These traps are placed in an area where the dogs frequent and use bait such as food to attract them. The traps are checked frequently to avoid distress to the animals."

Parker said in a statement that "the remaining dogs shouldn't be too much trouble going forward, but they still need to be taken out of the town."

He said that Halifax County Animal Control set up more traps around town.

Police say there are distinctions between wild dogs and strays in the area

Authorities encouraged those seeing the wild dog warnings to share information with loved ones. 

Community members should do what they can to stay safe and report sightings of the dogs to authorities, police said.

“As a last resort, if you find yourself needing to protect yourself or your pets, you can do so ethically without fear of legal repercussions,” police said on Feb. 3. “There are several strays in the area that are harmless. Do not take action unless these dogs are actively attacking. These specific dogs will most likely stay in a pack, and may even challenge you.”

The department said the dogs' behavior and abandonment is a symptom of a larger issue, and that if people can't handle the responsibilities that come with pet ownership, they shouldn't have pets.

Police said some people have asked about potentially adopting them, and that animal control will decide if the dogs can be adopted.

Those who see the dogs should contact 252-583-6651 or 252-583-1991. If there is an active attack in progress, call 911, police said.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.