Gary enters ACS at a time where the department has faced controversy over how its handled dangerous dogs.
SAN ANTONIO — It’s only been a few weeks since Jonathan Gary started as the new director of San Antonio’s Animal Care Services. He comes from Oklahoma City where he served as the animal welfare superintendent, a similar role, except from managing 70 people, he will now manage over 200.
“I’m tough, I’m resilient,” Gary told media Wednesday. “You know, I’m not going to give up. We’re going to do better. We’re going to we’re going to save a lot of lives along the way. We’re going to make sure our public’s safe. I’m confident in that.”
In all, Gary has been with the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division for 25 years. His selection caps a nationwide search that officials said involved more than 100 applicants.
Gary enters ACS at a time where the department has faced controversy over how its handled dangerous dogs, starting with the deadly mauling of 81-year-old Ramon Najera in February 2023. The coming months saw a surge in dangerous dog complaints as ACS and city officials worked to make it easier to report them.
“That’s the owner that didn’t take care of the pet, that didn’t keep the pet confined,” Gary stated. “And I think it’s important our community understands that, that nothing that happens here is the fault of our staff. You know, we do the best that we can with the resources that we have. We’ll continue to do that and we’re going to always try to improve.”
The department has also seen a boost in funding, through the city budget, to more easily and quickly respond to dangerous dog calls.
Last December, ACS launched an online dashboard so the public can more readily see where dogs categorized as dangerous live in the Alamo City.
Gary plans to evaluate existing programs and make tweaks if necessary. Some including how field officers are responding to calls. He already believes the department is doing well.
“My goal over the next several weeks is to look at what’s already been being done, and then how do how do we enhance that?” he said. “Ultimately, I’d like to see us be more proactive.”
Though he admits there will be some tough questions he’ll have to answer as department head.
“How do we balance the protection of the our residents and make you feel safe?” Gary explained. “And then the life saving that is also expected of us? We also have an obligation to try to save them [the animals] once they’re here. And so that’s going to be the biggest challenge I think that we face.”
The new director says he has a vision for the future of ACS in San Antonio.
“Our goal is to be a huge resource to our community, provide people with things that they need to be responsible pet owners as well as be able to educate them on what it means to be a, responsible pet owner,” Gary said.