SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE, Friday at 7:05 p.m.:
A spokesperson for City Council District 3 said the problem pack of dogs is beginning to subside.
In a statement to KSAT on Friday afternoon, the spokesperson said an Animal Care Services (ACS) field team had located the pack of stray dogs and set traps.
With round-the-clock monitoring, they said, “ACS has caught one dog from the pack, picked up four others, and returned two dogs to their owners on E. Ansley.”
District 3, in collaboration with ACS, will continue to monitor and track the situation.
ORIGINAL:
A pack of dogs is on the loose in a South Side neighborhood, and neighbors are concerned.
“What if I decide to take a walk? What then? And they show up. (What) am I supposed to do? Run, I can’t run,” said Margie Pena, who lives in the Harlandale-McCollum area
Those who live in the area say the dogs have been an issue for nearly two months.
The neighbors believe the pack has killed multiple cats.
“It’s heartbreaking, I don’t know what to do. I’m scared that I’m going to wake up in the morning and find another pet dead,” said a woman who asked to remain anonymous and lost two cats
Neighbors we spoke to said they feel bad for the dogs but fear what could happen if they are not caught.
“When I saw how big the pack was, I started thinking that they’re right here by this elementary school. There are kids playing outside,” said another woman who didn’t want to be identified.
Neighbors called Animal Care Services, but an ACS spokeswoman told KSAT its crews found nothing, and the case was closed.
We asked District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran about ACS closing cases if nothing is found.
“If not, it looks like they never went out there,” Viagran said. “We need something better to track it, so hopefully, we can agree that on the administrative side.”
The issue led to the councilwoman getting involved within the last month. Her office found the dogs are typically out overnight and into the early morning hours when Viagran’s office said ACS has one crew patrolling the entire city.
“They’re trying to work with us to set up a time of like, ‘OK, this is going to be the ideal time we can get that third shift out there to look,’” Viagran said.
KSAT asked ACS about its shifts. Their spokeswoman said, “Schedules are different from day to day.”
A few hours later, she followed up, noting that ACS has “six teams of officers for 24/7 coverage 365 days a year.”
ACS tells us that in situations like these, it’s important to be persistent in calling ACS or 311 and to give as much detail as possible.
They also sent this statement to KSAT:
“One of the key pieces is owners allowing their animals to roam or not being mindful of where their animals are. This may very likely be a female in heat that multiple males are following.”
