Dog Days of Summer

As the number of catastrophic dog attacks continues to rise in San Antonio, City Council refuses to acknowledge their role in this public safety crisis.

District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda are assigned to the Public Safety Committee.  This committee’s oversight includes matters related to Animal Care Services (ACS).

In January 2022, Councilman McKee-Rodriguez and Councilwoman Havrda submitted a Council Consideration Request (CCR) regarding the ACS Master Plan.

The CCR stated, in part, that ACS staff should “research, develop, and propose” a plan that would include “[s]trategies to reduce the number of pets euthanized due to ‘aggressive’ or ‘dangerous’ designations.”

This strategy is reckless and short-sighted. It also indicates the council members are unaware that aggressive dogs are defined by city ordinance, and dangerous dogs are additionally defined by Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822, Section 822.041.

Dogs designated as “aggressive” or “dangerous”, per city code, already have inflicted harm. This may include dogs who killed another domesticated animal, or those that have attacked humans.

When council members fail to understand the public safety risk that aggressive and dangerous dogs present to the community, it often results in policy recommendations that jeopardize the well-being of their constituents.

In light of the latest dog attacks that left one San Antonio man fighting for his life, and another man dead, we urge Councilman McKee-Rodriguez and Councilwoman Cabello Havrda to withdraw their CCR.

On August 16, District 6 resident Max De Los Santos was mauled by a Pitbull named “Buttercup” and a German Shepherd named “Cash”.

City records indicate Buttercup was owned by Danielle Leigh Henderson and Hanson Cruz Duron, while Cash was owned by Shelly Ann Gonzales. The dogs lived directly across the street from Mr. De Los Santos.

Neighbor Rudy Pantoja rushed out of his home during the attack to intervene, eventually saving Mr. De Los Santos’ life while sustaining serious injuries himself.  According to a KTSA report, the dogs were dragging the 76-year-old man “away to their house to kill him.”

San Antonio Police Officer Christopher Cummings noted in his report that De Los Santos was transported to University Hospital for “evaluation with life threatening injuries.” The dogs tore flesh, muscle, and tendons from his body.

Almost eight weeks after this near-fatal dog attack, Mr. De Los Santos remains hospitalized. He has undergone multiple surgeries thus far, including the amputation of both legs. The cost for his hospitalization has exceeded $1 million.

According to a Fox San Antonio report, Councilwoman Havrda said “the city was working with the family who owns the dogs because of calls made to 311 about them.” She also stated “it was unknown at the time that these dogs were aggressive.”

Yet according to 311 records, other neighbors did indeed make multiple (reports) regarding aggressive dogs, animal cruelty and neglect, and dead animals.  In fact, one occurred the day before the De Los Santos attack. 

It was an urgent one classified as “Animals (Aggressive Critical)”.  The neighbor stated she feared for the safety of her children because Buttercup and Cash had just broken through their privacy fence.

She asked for advice since it was clear ACS would not respond in a timely manner, saying she would shoot the dogs if they threatened her family. The 311 operator told her “we don’t have any advice for you. You just do whatever to keep you and your family safe.”

The City of San Antonio now appears to sanction the shooting of aggressive dogs because ACS has all but abandoned their duty to protect the public. 

Municipal court records also document that Danielle Leigh Henderson and Hanson Cruz Duron received multiple citations in the past for animal-related violations.

Despite multiple pleas from concerned neighbors, and an established history of non-compliance with animal-related ordinances, ACS refuses to act on reports that an aggressive pitbull still remains with the owners of the dogs who attacked Mr. De Los Santos.

Three weeks later across town, on September 5th, District 2 resident Paul Striegel was sitting in his fenced yard in the 9500 block of Heidelberg Street. Two American Staffordshire Terriers named “Ghost” and “Venus” crawled under Striegel’s chain link fence and mauled him.

The dogs were owned by Striegel’s neighbor, Gregory Leon Palmer.

Witnesses to the attack described a gruesome scene in which, according to the SAPD report, Striegel’s arms “were torn down to the bone.” The report also noted that Striegel “had critical injuries to his abdomen,” and that “doctors were unsure if [he] was going to lose both arms.”

Residents living in the 9500 block of Heidelberg Street made prior 311 calls regarding aggressive dogs and animal cruelty. One caller reported that eight large, aggressive dogs were permitted to roam by their owner. 

ACS never responded to that call.

Another 311 caller reported the dog owner permitted his dogs to roam loose again. He said one of those dogs was so aggressive that he was trapped in his car. The man further explained a neighbor was bitten the day before by this pack of dogs. The caller described the dogs as “dangerous.”

ACS never responded to that call.

It’s unknown at this time if any of the 311 calls in the 9500 block of Heidelberg Street are connected to Gregory Leon Palmer’s dogs.

Paul Striegel died as a result of the attack on October 1.

On September 5, Councilman McKee-Rodriguez posted a press release on Facebook titled “District 2 Councilman’s Statement on September 5th Dog Bite.”  To be clear, witnesses to the mauling described an utterly horrific blood bath – not a mere dog bite. In fact, SAPD had homicide detectives on location.

Councilman McKee-Rodriguez said that “[w]e owe our residents a continued focus to address dangerous animals and irresponsible pet owners.”  If that’s the case, City Council should not advocate against the euthanasia of aggressive and dangerous dogs.

Councilman McKee-Rodriguez further stated that his “office will be proposing amendments, such as an additional increase of 14 positions that will better position our city to respond to 100% of the 50,000 critical calls we receive annually.”

Even if ACS responded to 100% of critical calls, would it reduce the frequency and severity of dog maulings?  It depends.

First, there are several ways ACS may respond to critical calls.

This may include direct contact with an owner of an aggressive dog, issuing citations, or advising victims how to file a dangerous dog affidavit. ACS could also choose to send a letter to an owner of an aggressive dog and then provide no further follow-up. (Accordingly, not all responses to critical calls are equal nor equally effective in preventing catastrophic dog maulings.)

Second, even if ACS issues a citation or imposes restrictions on an aggressive or dangerous dog, a municipal court judge could dismiss citations or fail to enforce restrictions designed to protect the public.

Both City Manager Erik Walsh and ACS Director Shannon Sims were aware that a municipal court judge was dismissing many animal-related citations. However, they chose not to bring these issues to the attention of City Council.

Until City Council becomes more critical in examining ACS’ failures, as well as appointing municipal court judges who will enforce both local ordinances and state statutes, nothing will change.

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Individuals opposed to an Animal Care Services Master Plan that would release dangerous and aggressive dogs back into the community should email the following individuals:

Councilman McKee-Rodriguez at jalen.mckeerodriguez@sanantonio.gov.

Councilwoman Cabello Havrda at melissacabello.havrda@sanantonio.gov.