© 2025 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Animal Care Services Director Jon Gary lays out goals, pushes back on criticisms of ACS

Animal Care Services Director Jon Gary speaking to reporters at ACS headquarters.
Josh Peck
/
TPR
Animal Care Services Director Jon Gary speaking to reporters at ACS headquarters.

Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.

San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS) Director Jon Gary has had the job since Dec. 30. He comes from Oklahoma City’s Animal Welfare Division, where he worked for 25 years and served as its director for eight.

Gary spoke with the media on Wednesday before his first meeting with the ACS Advisory Board, laying out his priorities for the department and pushing back on criticisms ACS has received in the last several years.

“Those things that happen are not the fault of ACS, right?” he said about the recent spate of dog maulings. “I mean, our job is to respond to those incidents, but that's the owner that didn't do the right thing; that's the owner that didn't take care of the pet, that didn't keep the pet confined. And I think it's important that our community understands that. Nothing that happens here is the fault of our staff.”

Roland Gonzales, an Animal Care Services officer, rounds up dogs that escaped their owners.
Courtesy photo
/
ACS
Roland Gonzales, an animal care services officer for the city, at working rounding up these dogs who got loose from their owners

Gary said solving the public safety and animal welfare problems the city faces will require a team effort.

“It's just so important that our community understands that we're going to be a huge resource to them, and we want to be a resource to them, but it's going to take the community to change this, right?” he said. “You can't expect the staff here to make that change.”

Gary worked as a shelter worker, shelter supervisor, vet assistant, field supervisor, and operations manager at Oklahoma City’s Animal Welfare Division before he became its director. He said that he realized working with animal welfare was his calling soon after joining the department.

As director, Gary oversaw a department that had around 20,000 animals per year moving through its doors. ACS handled 30,000 animals in 2024.

Though Gary said some ACS initiatives and processes will likely be tweaked and improved after he gets through a full evaluation, he believed the department is moving in the right direction.

“I'm not coming in here to turn it upside down and change everything, right?” he said. “I mean, I'm here to really help the staff who's already been doing such great work, give them resources, use my experience.”

The new ordinance also enables residents to use a fake name when reporting a neighbor's loose or dangerous dog.

Gary repeatedly said that he’s not going to give up on San Antonio’s animals or people.

“I didn't come to San Antonio for a pit stop,” he said. “I came here to make a difference and try to help this team make a difference in our community. And so I'm here until I retire, unless they kick me out sooner.”

Shannon Sims, ACS’s most recent permanent director, stepped down from the role earlier than expected last May. Development Services Department Director Michael Shannon served as interim director while the city sought Sims’ permanent successor.

Gary described what he hoped San Antonio residents think about ACS after his first full year as its director.

“In the first year, I really hope that they look back and they think, ‘OK, we saw some with some visual change, right?’” he said. “‘We saw a better response in the Field Services Program, we saw more animals’ lives being saved.’ But at the end of the day, I just want them to know that we care, and we're here.”

TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.