SAN ANTONIO \u2014San Antonio residents are filing far more complaints about dangerous dogs than they used to, and Animal Care Services says the sharp rise has kept officers busy.<\/p>\n
ACS Director Jon Gary says the number of dangerous dog affidavits coming into the department has doubled in just one year, jumping from about 300 to nearly 600.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a busy year for our officers working those cases,\u201d Gary said. \u201cBut it had its desired effect. People now know what their options are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gary says the surge caught the department off guard, but also proved that their messaging to the public was working.<\/p>\n
ACS has slowly grown its staff and enforcement capacity in recent years.<\/p>\n
RELATED | Residents report improvements after one year of new dangerous dog enforcement policies<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been challenging as we\u2019ve grown and how we manage that workload,\u201d he said. \u201cWe did not expect a double amount coming out of that something we weren’t really prepared for, necessarily. But we\u2019ve done a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n The rise in affidavits means more formal investigations and more dogs being officially labeled as dangerous.<\/p>\n Right now, 217 dogs in San Antonio are officially classified as Dangerous, according to ACS data. Gary says that the number has grown proportionally to the jump in affidavits.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen an increase in the number deemed as well,\u201d he said. \u201cThe majority of cases that are brought forward to us, as we evaluate them, a lot of them are deemed dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that there are still cases that don\u2019t meet the criteria, but the trend tracks closely with the increase in community reports.<\/p>\n You can see where the registered dangerous dogs are in your neighborhood at this link.<\/a><\/p>\n The registry shows aggressive and dangerous dogs, so you can filter to examine each category.<\/p>\n Keeping Up With Compliance<\/strong><\/p>\n Once a dog is labeled dangerous, owners have to meet strict requirements, things like secure housing, proper signage, and microchipping. <\/p>\n ACS is maintaining an 80% compliance rate, similar to what was reported earlier in 2025, which Gary says is right where they want to be.<\/p>\n RELATED | Mail carrier recovering after pit bull attack; judge orders animal euthanized<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe have about an 80 percent compliance rate,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes dogs are released back, and the owners move and don\u2019t tell us. But that\u2019s actually our goal, to keep up with that 80%.\u201d<\/p>\n He says every dangerous dog released back to their owner in the community must be compliant at that time.<\/p>\n RELATED | Dog rips toddler’s front teeth out during attack<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Earlier this year,<\/a> we asked Gary why the goal wasn’t 100% compliance for these owners.<\/p>\n \u201c100 would be hard,\u201d Gary told us in May. \u201cSometimes it’s just a matter of us not being able to even reach the person to try and get them into compliance. They\u2019re very good at avoiding us when they’re not in compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n An ACS spokesperson added, “Unfortunately, there will always be non-compliant owners, and it is our continued intention to reduce that number as effectively and as quickly as possible.”<\/p>\n Residents Can Use Pseudonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n In a few cases, residents filing affidavits <\/a>have opted to use pseudonyms out of concern for their safety.<\/p>\n In FY25, three people did so.<\/p>\n That’s part of a 2024 city measure that increased penalties for repeat dog bites, allowed ACS to sterilize loose animals, and attempted to prevent retaliation for people who report their neighbors’ animals.<\/p>\n Gary says he expected more people to use pseudonyms, but people are showing that they’re willing to put their name on the affidavits and attest to what is happening around them.<\/p>\n How to report a dangerous dog:<\/strong><\/p>\n