District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, at podium, is joined by Raymond Najera (right) and Beatrice and Max De Los Santos (left). Credit: Michael Karlis

San Antonio City Council on Thursday unanimously approved stiffer fines and harsher penalties — including the forced sterilization of roaming dogs — for irresponsible pet owners.

Owners of dogs caught roaming the streets will now receive a $100 fine for the first offense and a $500 fine for the second. Each subsequent roaming dog offense after that will result in a $750 penalty.

Previously, owners received a $100 fine the first time, while second-time offenders only received a $200 ticket.

Under the new rules, which are effective immediately, the city’s Animal Care Services department also will be able to sterilize roaming dogs picked up by its personnel.

Under an earlier ordinance, ACS can only require owners of roaming dogs to get the animals fixed within 30 days their capture — a mandate with a 70% compliance rate. Now, the department has the option of sterilizing the wandering dogs at its facilities and charging owners for the procedure.

Animal advocates have long argued that the root cause of San Antonio’s dangerous dog problem is the number of roaming or stray pets that aren’t spayed or neutered.

Under the ordinance passed Thursday, owners of dogs who bite people also face steeper fines. Owners now can be slapped with a $1,000 penalty for the first offense, $1,500 for the second and $2,000 for every subsequent incident.

District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito set the set the ball rolling for the new rules when she filed paperwork in May asking council to consider more serious penalties for irresponsible pet ownership. She filed the request after a string of headline-grabbing dog attacks, including the mauling death of 81-year-old retired Air Force veteran Ramon Najera Jr.

“The majority of dog-related issues can be traced back to irresponsible dog owners, so we need to hold them accountable before tragedy repeats itself,” Alderete Gavito told reporters at a May press conference. “We must act now to reduce the chance of further attacks.”

Assistant City Manager David McCary and interim ACS Director Michael Shannon both recommended that council approve the stiffer penalties.

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This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 10, 2024.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...