BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A family pet’s death has prompted a Northeast Side neighborhood to urge Bexar County to take action.
Michelle and her daughter, who remained anonymous for her safety, said their neighbor’s pit bull attacked and killed their dog on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
They said they took their dog, Blue, outside to their fenced-in backyard and left him there for about an hour.
When Michelle’s daughter went back outside to bring Blue in, she was met with tragedy.
“My dog was flipped over on his back, bleeding everywhere,” her daughter said. “I started trying to do chest compressions on my dog ... I didn’t know what to do; I kept trying to pull him over.”
“My neighbor started calling the police,” Michelle said. “Probably an hour passed by. She called three times. “Animal control (Bexar County Animal Control Services) didn’t do anything. He (ACS) didn’t even go in my backyard.”
Michelle and her daughter said this was not the first incident with their neighbor’s dog.
Michelle and her daughter told KSAT that the pit bull and the neighbor’s other dog attacked Blue in November 2024, leaving him scratched and bloodied.
“This has been time after time after time,” the daughter said.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office sent KSAT the following statement on Friday:
“Deputies will be revisiting the home today and if contact is not made further attempts will be made. Additionally, BCSO is not capable of removing animals from a home nor make that decision.”
BCSO did not provide an update on whether they contacted the owners or issued any citations.
On Friday, the Bexar County Animal Control Services sent KSAT the following statement:
“Bexar County Animal Control and Sheriff’s Deputies are actively working on this case together. We’re making sure we follow the correct protocols in handling this case.”
However, this isn’t the only four-legged problem in the neighborhood. Stray animals are also an ongoing issue.
“I’ve only seen animal control once, which was the other day,” one woman said. “I’ve lived here for seven years.”
“I called the city, and they just told me to call the police or to call animal control,” one man who recently moved into the area said.
Stray animals are just one of the reasons this neighborhood is filled with “for rent” signs.
“We’re in the process of getting ready to move,” a Northeast Side resident said. “I think everybody here kind of wants to.”
The resident also mentioned that the back of the neighborhood is filled with clutter on top of the stray dogs and the recent dog attack. KSAT drove to the area the resident referred to and witnessed stacked mattresses, clothing, and many other items littered in old property spaces between homes.
In the same neighborhood, there was also a tragic shooting that took the life of a four-year-old in 2024.
The only factors that could keep some neighbors in this area longer are increased safety and improved response from the county when they reach out, according to some residents.
“You can call 311, but nobody calls back,” another resident said.
While some are waiting out their leases, Michelle and her daughter hope that Bexar County will issue their neighbors criminal citations.
They also said they want the Bexar County animal control to remove the neighbor’s dogs from the home to ensure the safety of their other pets in their backyard.
“I want justice for my dog,” the daughter said. “I want to get those dogs off the street.”
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