Abandoned dogs turned dangerous, now attacking cats in far West Side neighborhoods

As of Tuesday afternoon, Animal Care Services has not captured either of the dogs

SAN ANTONIO – Residents in the Timber Ridge and Tara neighborhoods are asking for Animal Care Services to do more after dogs continue to roam the area after being abandoned for over two weeks.

Neighbors told KSAT they’re now attacking pet cats to survive.

“It’s not their fault they’re dogs, you know, but it also hurts my soul that’s my cat, that’s my pet,” said Sebastian Neira.

Neira says his cat is one of at least two cats killed by the dumped dogs. He has since started placing his cat’s food out to feed the dogs in hopes they won’t go hungry and save someone else’s cat.

“That dog probably knows they’ve been doing wrong, but they have no food. Their ribs, you can see their ribs,” Neira said.

Home security video shows the dogs being dumped on May 19. Since then, residents tell us multiple calls were made to Animal Care Services.

On May 26, ACS told KSAT a dog trap would be placed to catch the dogs, but that didn’t happen until Monday, June 5.

“In this specific one, we had traps longer at some locations. It does usually happen like that. I think there’s probably about 13 that is good to go and not damaged,” said ACS Field Operations Manager Aimee DeContreras.

DeContreras explains ACS has 13 dog traps for the entire city. That now includes the one that was set up on Fabens Street, where at least five calls have been made since Saturday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, ACS has not captured either of the dogs.

ACS staff told KSAT they prioritize calls that require more attention, like animals showing threatening or aggressive behavior. They recommend residents update their 3-1-1 reports as much as possible with as much information as possible. They added that if someone needs an immediate response, they should call San Antonio Police.

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About the Authors:

John Paul Barajas is a reporter at KSAT 12. Previously, he worked at KRGV 5 in the Rio Grande Valley. He has a degree from the University of Houston. In his free time, he likes to get a workout in, spend time on the water and check out good eats and drinks.

Gavin Nesbitt is a photojournalist and video editor who joined KSAT in September 2021. He has traveled across the great state of Texas to film, conduct interviews and edit many major news stories, including the White Settlement church shooting, Hurricane Hanna, 2020 presidential campaigns, Texas border coverage and the Spurs.