San Antonio appoints interim director for ACS

SAN ANTONIO — The city announced Monday that Michael Shannon has been appointed to serve as the interim director of Animal Care Services (ACS) as efforts continue to hire a permanent replacement for the previous director, Shannon Sims, who retired earlier this year. 

According to a press release, Shannon was appointed by City Manager Erik Walsh and will serve as interim director for the organization starting July 15.

“Michael is a proven executive with the management and leadership experience to help in this interim period,” Walsh said in the statement. 

Shannon has worked with the City of San Antonio for 22 years, serving as the director of the Development Services Department since 2017. He also served as an ACS board member for four years, according to the release.

The city said it is still in the process of recruiting and hiring the next full-time ACS director following Sim’s earlier-than-expected retirement in May.

The search comes amid a string of dog attacks in the last 18 months that have refocused efforts on holding owners of dangerous dogs accountable. City Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito is seeking stiffer penalties for those owners, and earlier this spring ACS was criticized by animal rights advocates for its approach to euthanasia. 

The city said it remains committed to hiring a director who will lead the department forward and promote a “safe community for the health and wellbeing of pets and the people who love them.”

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