SAN ANTONIO \u2013 The number of dangerous dog cases in San Antonio is on the rise \u2014 and so is the number of reported incidents, according to the San Antonio Animal Care Services.<\/p>\n
Jon Gary, the director of Animal Care Services, said statistics from 2024 to the present show a steady increase in the number of dangerous dog cases in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
While the direction of the numbers is not what he and other city officials want, Gary pointed out that the numbers reflect not only attacks but also incidents in which the public has contacted or connected with ACS.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve increased our staffing, as we increased our ability to respond to instances, we\u2019ve seen an increase in the number of affidavits that we\u2019ve received,\u201d Gary said.<\/p>\n
He referenced the connection during a recent public safety committee meeting, during which he presented to city council members.<\/p>\n
Gary said that since the agency received more funding, more ACS officers can respond to calls and conduct investigations to determine whether a dog is dangerous or aggressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, they\u2019ve roughly doubled during that time period, and that\u2019s typically, I think, a lot of it, one, is due to staffing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to the data presented, the number of dog bites or attacks is on an upward trend, as is the number of dogs deemed dangerous or aggressive.<\/p>\n
In 2024, just over 100 dogs were deemed dangerous, and 69 were deemed aggressive.<\/p>\n
\u201c(A dog is) dangerous if it attacks a person, aggressive if it attacks another animal,\u201d Gary said.<\/p>\n
The numbers jumped in 2025 to 283 dangerous dogs and 103 aggressive dogs.<\/p>\n
Gary said he believes there is a relation between the high numbers and more people are reporting incidents to 311 and filing affidavits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot better job as an organization of educating the people about their options when it comes to these individuals that are being attacked or being bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the investigations sparked by the reports have led to the dangerous dog registry<\/a> and the public map, which shows where dangerous dogs have been reported in San Antonio and details how aggressive they are.<\/p>\n With the positives, Gary does acknowledge the obvious.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately we\u2019re still (seeing) too many dangerous dog attacks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gary stressed that the goal is to dramatically reduce the number of dangerous dog cases in the city and said offering assistance to dog owners is one way to achieve that.<\/p>\n