Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones gets unlikely ally in bid to stop anti-pet dumping ordinance

Puppies in a box on the side of a road. Credit: Facebook / San Antonio Animal Care Services

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has attracted an unlikely ally in her otherwise lonely effort to halt passage of an anti-pet dumping ordinance: animal-rescue advocates.

In an open letter to Jones and City Council posted over the weekend, nonprofit group No Kill SA expressed concern the proposal could actually hinder those who spay and neuter stray animals. Proposed by Assistant City Manager David McCary and Animal Care Services Director Jonathan Gary, the ordinance would fine those caught dumping animals on city streets up to $2,000.

Jones sparked a backlash from others on council after she removed the anti-pet dumping amendment from last week’s agenda, arguing that the original paperwork was filed before her time in office.

Despite the outcry, No Kill SA Director Lea LaPort told the Current the proposed ordinance, as currently written, could punish do-gooders who spay and neuter stray animals then release them.

“It doesn’t give a clear and concise definition of who could be excluded from that abandonment,” LaPort said.

LaPort recalled a time when one of her organization’s members accidentally caught a raccoon in a trap that was originally intended for a dog the person intended to spay or neuter. The person member ultimately released the raccoon back into the wild.

“That could technically be considered abandonment, because there’s no clear definition,” LaPort said.

An audio recording LaPort’s organization supplied the Current also indicates that at least one of the city’s 311 operators in the past instructed a caller to “let go” of stray dogs they capture if ACS officers are unable to pick up the loose canines promptly.

“I can give you the supervisor’s number from Animal Care Services if you’d like, but he couldn’t give me an ETA, and he says if you can’t take the dog anymore, then you can always let it go,” the unidentified 311 operator said in the conversation, which was recorded last winter, according to LaPort.

LaPort maintains that the advice given by some 311 operators is in complete violation of the proposal now scheduled for council debate.

LaPort said she’s not opposed to the city having an anti-dumping ordinance, but she said people trying to remedy the stray animal problem could be wrongfully penalized unless the language is amended.

Although Jones scrapped the anti-dumping proposal from last week’s agenda, it’s since been scheduled to appear before this Thursday’s council meeting.

The ordinance is back on the agenda after a bipartisan coalition, including District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito and District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte, filed a formal memo demanding it be returned to the dais.

Despite the concerns of LaPort and other animal rights activists, two City Hall insiders who wished to remain anonymous said it’s unlikely the amendment will be changed or clarified prior to Thursday’s vote.

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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones gets unlikely ally in bid to stop anti-pet dumping ordinance

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