Homeless Dogs on The West Side (costs, backyard, money)

[metalfish]

Originally Posted by wellguy

I wouldn't refer to Westside Residents or the Westside as "ghetto". Many great people live on the Westside. It is sad however that some take on a responsibilty that they cannot afford. Before they know it they have a sick dog / cat or a litter of puppies / kittens. Those that can't deal with these problems end up dumping their animals. I totally agree that this is wrong. All one would have to do is contact 311 or COSA Animal Control to have the dog /cat picked up. Many are so ill that they will have to be put to sleep.

I hate it when I see a punk whether an adult or kid and they have a Pit Bull on a leash, chain ,whatever and they are walking the dog down the street. It's like the dog is an extension of the owner's testicles.

These people are all over San Antonio and I mean all over and so are the homeless / sick dogs and cats.

I was refffering to the people on my street.

[wellguy]

Originally Posted by metalfish

I was refffering to the people on my street.

We can spay and neuter them !

[Sambo78253]

They should charge
ppl A nominal fee if they choose to not spay/neutr their pets.

[GlorifiedMalcontent]

pardon my dusting off this aging thread. it's a topic that really grinds my gears.

living on the west side ourselves we see this problem daily. i've only lived here for a little under a year and a half, and i was pretty shocked at the stray/loose dog population in san antonio. i can tell right off the bat that they aren't all homeless. a lot are dogs which are chronically on the loose. dogs with collars and tags. just this morning, five dogs were lying down on my lawn, one of which i recognized as my neighbor's dog. it makes walking my own dog a huge chore.

a lot of people have hit the nail on the head already: too many homeless strays, too many bad owners, and not enough good homes for those who need it. i wish the city could have a program the way they do with cat colonies. catch, alter, release. i'd rather all the homeless dogs be caught and put in good homes, but it seems like that can't happen until attitudes toward caring for animals have changed among the population. at the very least, it would be great to keep them from reproducing.

for the record, we've never been attacked by any of the strays in our area, but it's still a problem. one day while in the garage, my fella heard a thud and a car speed away, and opened the door in time to see a dog crawl onto our lawn and die. he had a collar.

i hope the attitudes of pet owners change, and they will make the right decisions (to either car for a pet like they should, or not have one at all.) it's really where this problem springs from and where it will be solved.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by GlorifiedMalcontent

pardon my dusting off this aging thread. it's a topic that really grinds my gears.
living on the west side ourselves we see this problem daily. i've only lived here for a little under a year and a half, and i was pretty shocked at the stray/loose dog population in san antonio. i can tell right off the bat that they aren't all homeless. a lot are dogs which are chronically on the loose. dogs with collars and tags. just this morning, five dogs were lying down on my lawn, one of which i recognized as my neighbor's dog. it makes walking my own dog a huge chore.
a lot of people have hit the nail on the head already: too many homeless strays, too many bad owners, and not enough good homes for those who need it. i wish the city could have a program the way they do with cat colonies. catch, alter, release. i'd rather all the homeless dogs be caught and put in good homes, but it seems like that can't happen until attitudes toward caring for animals have changed among the population. at the very least, it would be great to keep them from reproducing.
for the record, we've never been attacked by any of the strays in our area, but it's still a problem. one day while in the garage, my fella heard a thud and a car speed away, and opened the door in time to see a dog crawl onto our lawn and die. he had a collar.
i hope the attitudes of pet owners change, and they will make the right decisions (to either car for a pet like they should, or not have one at all.) it's really where this problem springs from and where it will be solved.

Agree wholeheartedly. The amount of strays/lost dogs is ridiculous here. reminds me of certain Caribbean islands, Central American countries and yes, Mexico.

Here's a "few months old" article that puts estimates at 100,000 stray dogs in the city/county!

http://www.mysanantonio.com/pets/Col...tray_dogs.html

[rd2007]

It's the irresponsible owners and there's only one way to fix it, but that method is generally considered illegal. Now if people would just learn to turn a blind eye to something being done for the good of the majority...

[firstclassflyer]

I wonder how the owners become irresponsible.

Do they think that it's acceptable to let dogs procreate, then let them loose?
Do they see what others do, and just copy?
Do they come from places where this behavior is acceptable?
Can they not afford the dog?

What a shame!

[rd2007]

Typical act first think later human behavior. Luckily it's usually only found on the bottom 10% or so.

almost forgot, it's also common in the I'm entitled to do anything I want population as well. Those were pretty common not too long ago, but they seem to be disappearing quickly, luckily.

[Backliteyes]

Originally Posted by rd2007

It's the irresponsible owners and there's only one way to fix it, but that method is generally considered illegal. Now if people would just learn to turn a blind eye to something being done for the good of the majority...

I agree. Roving packs of dogs should simply be swept up and euthanized. The problem is bad enough here that if it's not on a leash it should be fair game.

Being that ACS doesn't have the resources to solve the problem, let citizens take care of it. If you gave people a small break on their property taxes for turning in loose animals, I bet the problem would be solved in short order. I know ACS' goal is to become a humane, no-kill shelter, but that ideal is a bit unrealistic when there are roving packs of dogs troubling various areas of the city.

Before I moved here I'd never heard of, much less seen, a city in the United States where animals were allowed to harass and injure people on a regular basis with impunity. I love animals to death, but human safety is a much higher priority to me than the life of a stray, or a pet on the loose.

[GlorifiedMalcontent]

Originally Posted by Backliteyes

I agree. Roving packs of dogs should simply be swept up and euthanized. The problem is bad enough here that if it's not on a leash it should be fair game.

i roundly disagree. that's quite a band-aid solution, don't you think? getting rid of stray dogs now does not mean there will not be stray dogs later. this city has a problem and it's not just loose dogs. it's just a matter of time before the bad apples buy more dogs from those backyard breeders i see selling dogs in parking lots and on the side of the road, don't bother getting them altered, stick them in their backyard, and not care when they escape.

sweeping the problem under the rug does not solve it. it's just the "easiest" way to make it out of sight out of mind. the real solution unfortunately is harder to achieve but is worth the effort, in my opinion. dogs aren't consumer products you should just buy and toss when ever they don't suit you anymore, and shouldn't be treated like garbage. i would love to see some of these pet laws enforced once in a while, stop backyard breeders from selling on the side of the road, etc. changing minds seems impossible, but that's really what's going to help stop this problem, not simply killing everything you see on the street.