if a dog is dangerous<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cIt is well known on the West Side that we have like lots of strays,\u201d homeowner Sylvia Mendoza said.<\/p>\n
Residents want policy changes and stronger enforcement to hold owners accountable. Many suggest higher fines and stiffer penalties to deter neglect and dangerous ownership.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t dismiss fines. … You get a traffic ticket, you don\u2019t get that dismissed very easily, you go to an attorney,\u201d homeowner Juan said. \u201cYou can\u2019t do a $5 fine. $500-$1,000, it\u2019ll hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some residents worry for the safety of families and neighbors who want to use public spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel bad for the pets in general, but I think it does like pose a threat to, you know, some families or folks who want to walk,\u201d Mendoza said.<\/p>\n
City data shows that certain areas, like District 5 on the West Side, receive higher call volumes related to animals, according to ACS.<\/p>\n
The prevalence of stray dogs has pushed responsible pet owners to change their routines or leave the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a dog, so I don\u2019t walk with him in the area,\u201d Mendoza said. \u201cI will have to go somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
District 5 City Councilmember Teri Castillo said she\u2019s committed to reducing the number of stray dogs on the West Side.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks to increased investment in Animal Care Services (ACS), District 5 residents now have access to expanded resources like the Pet Care Connect program, which provides door-to-door education, free pet food, vaccines, microchips, and pet houses,\u201d she said in a statement, in part.<\/p>\n
Homeowners, however, want to see dog owners held accountable for animals that roam or cause harm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an animal,\u201d Juan said. \u201cYou can\u2019t leave your kid out in the street and let that get run over. So, you know, got to take care of what you own.\u201d<\/p>\n
For anyone who sees a stray or dangerous dog, the best way to let ACS know what\u2019s going on is by calling 311. Give them a clear description of the dog and a specific location of where the dog was seen. This information gives ACS the best opportunity to catch the animal and try to find its owner.<\/p>\n
Read also:<\/p>\n
Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 West Side residents want action as stray and dangerous dogs persist in San Antonio. Neighbors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[31199,244,82,84,83,2098],"class_list":{"0":"post-60330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-acs","9":"tag-animals","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","12":"tag-san-antonio-news","13":"tag-west-side"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}