Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Paul Sableman

Following last month’s deadly dog attack, San Antonio’s Animal Control Services is stepping up policies and penalties related to dangerous canines, according to a memo from City Manager Erik Walsh sent to Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

The memo, set Tuesday, follows outrage over a Feb. 24 attack on the West Side that killed 81-year-old Air Force Veteran Ramon Najera Jr. and wounded his wife and first responders.

Instead of civil penalties, ACS will issue criminal citations to the owners of dogs who leave their property and bite residents, according to Walsh. The dog also will be immediately seized by ACS and held in quarantine for 10 days while the city monitors it for rabies.

ACS has been actively inspecting properties where canines are deemed dangerous after an investigation or have been involved in an attack for which a victim has filed a dangerous dog affidavit, according to the memo.

Although there are 103 dogs designated as dangerous in San Antonio, only 43 of their owners are in compliance with state regulations, the memo said.

Owners of dangerous dogs must obtain liability insurance of $100,000, install permanent signs informing the public that a dangerous dog lives at the residence and obtain special leashes and muzzles.

Of the 60 out of compliance, 45 have significant compliance gaps, including dogs “being free of restraint,” according to the memo.

To address San Antonio’s dangerous dog problem, ACS is running a pilot program in the East and South sides’ Districts 2 and 3, which have higher rates of dog attacks, Walsh wrote.

The program includes visiting the 139 properties where dogs have been quarantined by ACS at least twice and inspecting the properties to ensure aggressive dogs are restrained. Under the program, ACS officials also are interviewing neighbors about aggressive dogs that live in the area.

“As in the past, ACS’s goal is to achieve compliance in all enforcement actions,” Walsh wrote. “Most pet owners take great care of their animals, however irresponsible pet owners need to be held accountable.”

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This article appears in Mar 8-21, 2023.

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,...