A new study of Dallas' loose dog problem estimates that nearly 9,000 dogs roam southern Dallas, quantifying, for the first time, an issue that has plagued some of the city's poorest neighborhoods for years.

The study also confirms a stunning disparity between the north and the south: Researchers found so few dogs in northern Dallas that they could not accurately predict how many wander the streets there.

The findings come from Boston Consulting Group, which was hired by donors to help ease Dallas' loose dog epidemic after a woman was killed by a pack of dogs in early May.

Antoinette Brown died after being mauled by a pack of loose dogs on May 2. (KXAS-TV)

The private firm has spent weeks meticulously analyzing the problem. Researchers systematically drove the streets of Dallas, counting and photographing dogs to prevent duplicates. The company hired temps to sort through boxes of paperwork and count every dog bite that Dallas reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The effort marks the first time anyone has conducted such a thorough analysis of the dog problem in Dallas. The initial results, presented Thursday to the Dallas Animal Commission, provide the most accurate picture yet of one of the city's most political and contentious issues.

A consulting firm took numerous photos while conducting a "census" of loose dogs on the streets of Dallas. (Boston Consulting Group)

Peter Brodsky, who is head of the Dallas Animal Commission and who raised the money to hire Boston Consulting Group, lauded the company for providing crucial data that did not previously exist.

"The situation has gotten worse," Brodsky said. "We finally have the ability to say: This is not just an anecdote. This is really a problem."

The report found that the number of dog bites has increased 15 percent annually since 2013 — a trend that's expected to continue this year.

Maeleska Fletes, president of the Dallas Companion Animal Project, questioned whether the problem is truly worse or whether that spike reflects an increase in the human population.

Brodsky said he would be shocked if the human population has grown enough in three years to account for the increase in dog bites.

"If the bites are up because the dog problem is bigger, that, to me, is the definition of the problem getting worse," he said.

Before now, no one had been able to say for sure whether there had been a spike in dog bites because the data was kept by separate agencies and was muddied by being mixed in with other animal bites.

But the data confirm what residents, particularly in the south, have reported: Dallas is a city where people carry sticks to keep dogs away and children are bitten on a regular basis.

Antoinette Brown died after being bitten more than 100 times in South Dallas in early May. Her family said the dogs "ate her like they was eating a steak."

Over Memorial Day weekend, a bull terrier sunk its teeth into a 13-year-old boy who was outside playing hide-and-seek. The boy required stitches and had to miss school as he recovered.

Just this week, an 11-year-old boy is reportedly in bandages after fighting off a pack of dogs in South Dallas.

#FOX4News: 11yo Charles Young says he fought off 5 dogs 2 Pitt Bull mixes& 3 Chihuahuas. pic.twitter.com/ow9JA83261 — James Rose (@JamesRoseOA) August 4, 2016

Residents in northern Dallas generally don't face such risks, the study found.

The firm conducted a loose dog "census," deploying pairs to drive the streets between 6 and 7:30 a.m. looking for dogs. They drove 235 miles on multiple occasions, visiting areas including Oak Cliff, the Fair Park neighborhood, Lakewood and White Rock Lake.

They documented 136 loose dogs in all. Just one of those was spotted in northern Dallas.

The team then used scientifically established models to predict that about 8,700 dogs wander loose in southern Dallas. BCG believes many of them are owned.

Dallas Animal Services animal control officer Esteban Rodriguez approached a dog left loose at a residence in West Dallas last August. (2015 File Photo / Staff)

Among the study's other findings: Spay and neuter rates vary drastically between northern and southern Dallas. About 80 percent of dogs in the north are fixed. In the south, it's flipped almost on its head: About 85 percent of dogs are intact.

The firm plans to present its full recommendations to the City Council within a few weeks, possibly as soon as the end of this month.