SAN ANTONIO – Leaders in District 1 are going back to the basics to help lower the number of loose dogs roaming around neighborhoods: fixing broken or torn fences.
They say this can be a big reason why dogs are able to escape their yards, and it could prevent a dog bite or attack.
We first told you about this idea a few weeks ago when residents in the Dellview neighborhood came to us with loose and aggressive dog issues.
“We were looking at the number of chain link fences that we have, and we found a pretty cheap solution,” said Councilwoman Dr. Sukh Kaur. “It's called tamp-down fencing. You can close off sections of fencing that have gaps where dogs might have dug through or figured out a way to get out of their homes.”
Kaur described it as stakes that you hammer into the ground to close off holes in the fence.
“This tamp-down fencing will take the burden off of the homeowner and still keep their dogs in their homes,” Kaur said, adding it will be free for District 1 residents.
In collaboration with the San Antonio Animal Care Services (SAACS) and other city departments, District 1 will start distributing this fencing solution starting February 26 and continue for four weeks.
Kaur says there will be an event at Dellview Park on March 1 where residents can come pick up some of the fencing pieces. ACS officers will also have pieces with them to offer homeowners as they patrol.
She says homeowners will have to consent to the fencing being placed on their properties, explaining that ACS could use it as an educational tool if they discover a loose dog.
“ACS will not just go into somebody's yard and tamp down fencing. It will definitely be based on a consent basis,” Kaur said.
The District 1 team says the launch of this program will focus on areas identified as having the greatest need. These areas are determined by data on aggressive animal calls, roaming pets, and insights from the Equity Atlas, an online resource mapping city disparities.
Kaur says other council members have also shown interest in this program and will be watching to see how it works. She says if it's successful, this is something that could be taken citywide.
“We're hopeful that if this gets good reception from the community, we'll be able to expand it, and it's really not that expensive,” Kaur said.
We asked how leaders would know this program was working and if any specific measurements were being considered.
Kaur said the sign of success will be how many of the fencing solutions people show up to use, and how many ACS can hand out.
“One of the biggest outputs that we can ask for is if there is a demand, so we'll be able to see how much actually fencing gets deployed into the community,” Kaur said.
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