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Inside Loop 410, a routine drive to work or school likely involves spotting at least one stray dog roaming around. These animals are often the result of people abandoning their dogs on the streets.
San Antonio is facing an abandoned dog crisis, so much so that the city is unable to respond to at least 50% of calls reporting strays. Add to that Animal Care Services’ inability to take in dogs people wish to legally surrender. The department simply doesn’t have the space or resources to do so.
People are abandoning and surrendering their animals because owning a pet has become too expensive, particularly as the country faces an affordability crisis.
The problems multiply, quite literally, because abandoned dogs that are not fixed naturally reproduce. More stray dogs mean more stray dogs. And the crisis continues.
There is no shortage of loving hearts in San Antonio. Many people want to — and often do — rescue a stray from the street or a shelter, but properly caring for the animal once it is home is not cheap.
Local public safety advocate Tracy Voss told Texas Public Radio that owning a dog can cost up to $2,500 a year. This total includes the cost of sterilization, vaccination and other routine vet visits as well as food, preventative care, squeak toys and all other daily supplies. And what about an emergency vet visit? The bottom line — dog ownership is quite an investment.
The kindhearted often realize they simply can’t afford the expense, so they try to surrender their pet to Animal Care Services. But the city often can’t immediately take in a surrendered animal, and the wait for an appointment can be three to four months, Voss said. People who can’t wait that long often resort to abandoning their dog.
Then there’s the problem of calling in to report a stray spotted on the street. Some call Animal Care Services about strays, hoping to put their tax dollars to work. But Voss said ACS just doesn’t have the capacity to pick up dogs that are not a direct threat to safety. She said people are often directed to leave the animal where they found it. The waiting time for these animals is often six to seven months, Voss said.
The City of San Antonio has been working to address this problem. Voss told TPR that in the last three years, San Antonio has increased Animal Care Services’ budget, workforce and financial penalties for people who don’t properly confine their animals.
These are all efforts to get a handle on the abandoned dog crisis. The question is: Is it enough?
