Animal Care Services argues safety in the community ultimately falls on pet owners themselves.
SAN ANTONIO — New, stricter policies for dog owners are one step closer to becoming reality.
In December, San Antonio city council will decide whether they want the policies in place. District seven councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito has been pushing for more enforcement for dog owners. She filed the initial city council consideration request (CCR) to make it happen.
“We got a call from one of our residents on Palm,” Alderete Gavito said. “She, over the weekend, had been chased twice by a pack of dogs. That's unacceptable, and we hear these complaints constantly.”
Proposed policy changes include increased fines for those dog owners whose dogs constantly are getting out and roaming, or are biting.
“We have looked at our data,” said Michael Shannon, interim director of Animal Care Services (ACS). “We have several that are just doing it over and over again. Those irresponsible pet owners that are causing some danger in our community.”
The breakdown of the fines would be:
“You know, I think that people can tell me all they want that, ‘oh, these penalties are too harsh,'” Alderete Gavito said. “You know, to me, the consequences of doing nothing are even harsher, so I’m not letting up.”
Another proposed change would allow ACS to spay and neuter animals who were roaming and needed to be picked up at ACS, before the animal was released to its owner.
“We want to change the code so we can sterilize more,” Shannon said. “If we pick up your dog and bring it to our facility. The state law says we can do it, we just need to change our local code to do it. We want to change the code so that before I give it back to you from our campus, before you reclaim your animal, we'll sterilize it because it was free of restraint.”
Those filing a complaint can also remain anonymous, in a change that Shannon explained does not need council approval.
“I think there's some fear out there, and we're trying to eliminate any obstacle so that you don't have to be fearful to have us at least start that investigation,” he said.
For Raymond Najera, who lost his father, Ramon Najera, due to a deadly dog attack in 2023, these proposed changes could’ve possibly prevented his father’s death.
“Changes need to be made for dog ownership and the responsibility of keeping them in your yard and such,” Najera said. “I mean, everything could be in place, but it's just the execution sometimes that that doesn't take place.”
The family has sued the city of San Antonio, calling the city “negligent” for not taking action despite warnings about the dogs, and prior reports.
Animal Care Services could not comment on the pending litigation, but does want people to know ultimately, safety in the community falls on pet owners themselves.
“We have to do a better job to make our city safe, but it's really up to our residents,” Shannon said. “They have to be responsible pet owners. This is a people problem. This is not an animal problem. We have to have residents to keep our neighborhoods safe by the way they handle their pets.”
The City of San Antonio, in a statement to KENS 5, echoed a similar message, saying “The owners were held criminally liable for their actions and the tragic consequences that followed. We will continue to defend the City in the filed litigation.”
