San Antonio – After a spate of dog attacks and the constant issues with loose dogs, San Antonio appears ready to crack down.
The city council’s Governance Committee unanimously advanced a proposal Wednesday that would create higher fines for dogs repeatedly found roaming loose, require all loose dogs picked up by Animal Care Services to be spayed or neutered before they’re released to their owners, and allow people to file Dangerous or Aggressive Dog affidavits under a pseudonym.
“So this is not a nuisance issue. This is a public safety issue,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg, the committee’s chairman. “And I think one that is far too urgent for us to continue to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when we have people mauled and killed in our own streets.”
The proposals will go to the Public Safety Committee for further review.
Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) proposed the changes in early May through a council consideration request (CCR). Her proposals have been supported by the son of Ramo Najera Jr, who was attacked and killed by loose dogs in February 2023, and Max De Los Santos, who had his legs amputated after an August 2023 attack.
State Sen. Jose Menendez has also backed the councilwoman’s proposals. The San Antonio Democrat tried unsuccessfully to get an anonymous reporting process for dangerous dogs added to state law during the last session.
“At the very first stages, when you’re reporting something, people shouldn’t fear that they’re going to report someone that’s already threatened them. ‘Hey, if anybody says anything, they’re going to get it. I’m going to find out who did it,’ that sort of thing,” Menendez said.
The term “dangerous dog” is an official designation covered by state law that can be attached to a dog that bites or threatens a human while outside of its home. It’s a lifelong brand that carries extra requirements for its owner: a special enclosure, mandatory insurance coverage, a muzzle while being walked, and signage.
San Antonio has similar rules for “aggressive” dogs, which are generally pets that have attacked other animals. Unlike “dangerous” dogs, those restrictions last only one to three years, depending on the level of aggressive dog designation with which the dog has been labeled.
However, ACS said both the “dangerous” and “aggressive” dog designations have to be preceded by investigations, which are not done automatically. They are prompted by sworn statements, or affidavits, from victims or other witnesses to an animal’s behavior.
Alderete Gavito and Menendez say an option to submit those statements anonymously could help protect people from retaliation.
Though city staff said they did not originally think it was possible, they’ve been able to find a way in current state law for all complaints to be submitted under a pseudonym.
“Unless someone tells us ‘no,’ we think that’s probably the low-hanging fruit of all three as we move forward,” Assistant City Manager and Interim ACS Director David McCary told reporters.
However, it wouldn’t be blanket anonymity. If the dog’s owner were to appeal the dangerous dog designation, the real name of the person who filed the complaint would have to be disclosed.
Asked about the apparent limitations of the pseudonym idea, Alderete Gavito told KSAT they were working with the municipal courts to ensure residents are protected through the whole process.
“I think we’re we’re trying to flesh through those details. And that’s the point of ... going to Governance Committee, to Public Safety Committee is to flesh through those details,” the councilwoman said.
City staff say they also don’t have the capacity right now to sterilize every loose pet they find.
“If we were going to keep doing everything we keep doing, the answer is ‘no,’” City Manager Erik Walsh told committee members. “But I think it’s about doing something better and more that we’re going to have to tackle with the Public Safety Committee.”