SAN ANTONIO – Last week’s brutal dog attack that left an 81-year-old man dead and three others injured is a horrific consequence of an ongoing decades-long problem of loose and stray dogs in San Antonio.
San Antonio has had a notorious reputation for its issue with stray dogs and animal overpopulation for decades, but COVID-19 only exacerbated the problem.
Issues brought on by the pandemic led more evictions and many families surrendering their pets because they couldn’t bring them with them or could no longer afford them. Some others who acquired pets during the pandemic’s work-from-home period surrendered them after needing to go back to the office. The pandemic also led to a shortage of veterinarians.
Earlier this month, Animal Care Services said within the first six weeks of this year, they encountered more than 600 loose dogs — 80% of which have homes.
ACS facilities are bursting at the seams as are their rescue partners and other foster groups who work to save as many of these dogs from euthanasia as they can.
ACS recently launched a new initiative aimed at educating pet owners about city ordinances and resources. ACS officers are going house-to-house to talk to residents in person.
“We provide them with supplies to keep their pets appropriately contained in their properties so that they are not at risk in the communities,” ACS case manager Katherine Powell told KSAT.
Despite the education efforts and even with the shelters full, strays continue to roam the streets of San Antonio.
Submit Your Questions
KSAT has received emails from residents expressing concern over aggressive dogs in their neighborhoods. So, we want to know — what questions do you have about dealing with the problem of aggressive and/or stray dogs in San Antonio? What are your experiences with aggressive dogs in the city? And what solutions do you think the city should try?
We’ll take these concerns to ACS, city leaders and others to get answers and try to help the efforts for solutions.