SAN ANTONIO – The owner of a dog who aggressively attacked two people on the Northwest Side within a week is under investigation by the San Antonio Police Department, Animal Care Services said.
ACS Director John Gary said the owner is “uncooperative” and could face jail time over their American Staffordshire Terrier‘s attacks that sent an 80-year-old woman to the hospital and a child to a medical provider.
“We are working with (SAPD) to pursue what charges may be filed at this point,” Gary said. “We will be pursuing attack by dog in this incident,” — a third degree felony.
Gary mentioned the owner could also face charges like serious bodily injury.
Reports of the dog date back to April 2025, according to Gary.
“Last April and last May, we received calls for this dog in the particular area,” Gary said. “Nothing came of those reports (because) we weren’t able to confirm the incidents with the residents, other than speaking to the owner on more than one occasion.”
Dogs are considered personal property in the United States and require an arrest warrant for them to be taken into custody. To get to that point, ACS requires proof of the incident reported, Gary stated.
Gary said the dog’s reports from 2025 were anonymous: “We couldn’t do anything unless we had a witness to come forward or the dog was confined by the time an officer was there.”
The dog was taken into ACS custody on Thursday for a quarantine period, but its future is unknown, Gary said.
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