Horrific, deadly dog attack spurs change across city
The horrifying dog attack that killed an elderly San Antonio man on Depla Street last month already may be having an impact on other San Antonio neighborhoods where aggressive dogs and irresponsible pet owners reside.
City officials said Wednesday that calls about dogs are up.
Perhaps neighbors once loath to report potentially dangerous dogs have found the courage to call. Perhaps they’ve become more fearful of a dog attack than a potentially angry neighbor.
I’m still not sure what to fear most.
You may live on such a street, in such a neighborhood, where irresponsible pet owners keep menacing dogs.
They terrorize neighbors when the dogs get out of their yards and even when they remain in them. Such dogs could be serving as security guards, not pets who are beloved members of a family.
I’m not the only person who has noticed a change in my neighborhood, however temporary.
Since the deadly Feb. 24 dog attack, I haven’t seen a neighbor’s pit bull outside. It’s probably being kept indoors.
“They’re being just a little more cautious,” a neighbor told me.
City officials are responding, too.
They’ve proposed a Good Neighbor Program that includes a new ordinance. The program will marshal various city departments, including Animal Care Services, code enforcement, fire and police.
ACS and Municipal Courts are working together to enhance enforcement and allow ACS to issue criminal citations instead of civil penalties after an unrestrained dog bites someone outside its yard.
ACS also will follow up with owners of dogs that are deemed dangerous.
For those who want to report a dog safety issue, ACS will improve information online that helps residents through the process. The city also will help those who want to take the step of preparing a dangerous dog affidavit, which triggers an ACS investigation.
This isn’t really a dog problem. It’s a people problem, one in which dog owners must be held accountable for the behavior of their dogs. Many fail to invest the time to socialize their dogs.
By April 5, officials expect to present City Council with the Good Neighbor Program and a proposed ordinance.
It took the mauling death of 81-year-old Ramon Najera Jr. to get here. The Air Force veteran was visiting a West Side home in the 2800 block of Depla Street when he was killed by two dogs that lived next door.
Najera’s wife, Janie, 74, also was attacked, but survived.
A graphic video of the episode shows how defenseless people are against a vicious dog. Firefighters wielded axes and poles to protect themselves and others from a dog with a bloody snout.
The city euthanized the dogs. Their owners, Christian Alexander Moreno and wife Abilene Schnieder, face felony charges and remain in Bexar County Jail.
As recently as January, neighbors had reported another attack that resulted in the dogs getting impounded.
That punishment was temporary. Moreno and Schnieder paid the required fees and got their dogs back. They continued to allow their dogs out of their yard.
No affidavit was filed in that dog-biting incident, and no investigation was launched.
Records show that during an almost three-year period, neighbors made 114 calls to 911 and 42 calls to 311 complaining about Moreno and Schneider and their three dogs.
In isolation, each call was treated as a “low-level” priority, officials said. As a whole, they show a far greater problem.
The city’s new approach holds the potential of preventing what happened on Depla Street from happening again.
On Wednesday, officials met with the Express-news editorial board to talk about the Good Neighbor Program and the new ordinance.
It’s easy to blame the dogs. It’s harder to hold owners responsible for their actions and inaction.
After Feb. 24, it became clear that at least some owners aren’t clueless about their own potentially dangerous dogs.
Since then, I’ve been able to dispose of trash and recycling without having to hear the incessant, fear-inducing barks of three dogs, including one pit bull, that would rush to the edge of a yard across the alley.
What happened on Depla Street may have already made an initial impact on other San Antonio neighborhoods where aggressive dogs and irresponsible pet owners reside.
Such initial reactions tend to wear off over time. A stronger ordinance and tougher enforcement won’t.