After six reported dog attacks since October, Highland Park residents say fear is reshaping daily life as they demand action before someone is seriously hurt.<\/p>\n
SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Neighborhood leaders in San Antonio\u2019s Highland Park community say at least six dog attacks have been reported since October, warning that number likely represents only the incidents they know about \u2014 and that more may have gone unreported.<\/p>\n
Residents say the attacks have occurred across different parts of the south-side neighborhood and have disproportionately involved elderly victims.<\/p>\n
\u201cSix attacks since October. Six. Separate attacks, not the same dogs,\u201d said Erin Reid, president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association. \u201cDifferent parts of Highland Park. All elderly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reid said she has been dealing with roaming and aggressive dogs since moving to Highland Park in 2020, describing repeated encounters with loose dogs \u2014 sometimes in packs \u2014 that have changed how residents live and move through the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Anthony Jacob, who has lived in Highland Park for five years, said the issue became personal when his son, daughter-in-law and their children were attacked while walking the family dog near Piedmont and East Highland Boulevard.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs they approached and got closer, the dogs just took off running straight at them,\u201d Jacob said.<\/p>\n
Jacob said his son stepped in front of his family, yelling and gesturing to scare the dogs away. The family was not injured. Jacob said his son immediately called 311 to report the incident but was told someone had already reported the dogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that point, I feel like it should have been escalated to a 911 call,\u201d Jacob said. \u201cDogs are unpredictable.”<\/p>\n
Jacob noted that not all roaming dogs appear threatening at first glance. He said many are small and may not initially look dangerous, but still pose a risk when unrestrained. He also said the issue is not limited to strays.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have dogs that have homes here,\u201d Jacob said. \u201cThey\u2019re just not kept behind their fences.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said some dogs involved in reported attacks are escaping from unsecured homes, while others appear to have been abandoned or left to roam.<\/p>\n
Not all victims have escaped injury.<\/p>\n
Reid said a woman using a walker was attacked while getting off a VIA bus. A bus driver stopped and helped her reach safety.<\/p>\n
The most recent reported attack happened Wednesday in the 1000 block of Kayton, according to Reid. She said a husband and wife \u2014 a Vietnam veteran and retired San Antonio police officers \u2014 were walking their dachshund when four dogs attacked them.<\/p>\n
The dachshund is recovering, Reid said. The couple suffered multiple scratches, and the man sustained a puncture wound \u2014 just days following a hernia surgery.<\/p>\n
Reid said the same four dogs have been the subject of complaints since October or November and that neighbors have repeatedly called for intervention.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we call 311, we\u2019re told three to five days before they come out,\u201d Reid said. \u201cThat\u2019s not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also said another elderly neighbor delayed leg surgery after being bitten and needing rabies treatment.<\/p>\n