Stray Dog Problem (more like just sadness) (West, Mart: house, neighborhood) - San Antonio - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

ashbeeigh · 08-07-2009, 07:48 AM

I know I've said the general area where I work before (westside) and the westside is an area targeted for spaying and neutering of pets, but what about the unwanted ones? Or the ones that happen to roam free on the street? It makes me so sad to see these dogs running around and occasionally following me in my parking lot just looking for something to eat or to be loved.

It's even worse when I'm driving and I see a dog laying in the middle of the street dead because people are barreling down the street that has a speed limit of 35 and cannot miss a dog (or honk their horn to get them out of the way).

Today though, it really just hurt me. I was at the stop light at Martin and Colorado in the right lane. I saw a pile of something and thought it may have been a t-shirt or something someone on a bike may have dropped, but it was this little tan dog that I think I have seen before on the sidewalk...laying on its side with its eyes looking right at me. It just broke my heart.

It almost makes me want to buy a big huge truck, drive around town, pick up all these dogs I find and put them on a huge ranch to save them from the chance of being hit by a car. Does anyone else feel this way?

I'm sure this will turn in to a "well owners need to be responsible, fix your pets, the westside is horrible, etc" and that's fine. Just expressing how I feel right now.

sapphire · 08-07-2009, 08:04 AM

It is heartbreaking. And it's not just the westside. We have 2 beautiful strays right now in Silver Creek (that I see all the time--there are probably more).....seems like we've become a popular dumping ground, or else they just end up in our neighborhood because there are a lot of kind people that feed them here. The problem is huge and I don't know how to fix it.....one dog at a time, I guess, is all we can do.

perticusrex · 08-07-2009, 08:20 AM

Plenty of dogs run the streets here in my neighborhood. Most of them actually have owners and homes to go to, but for some reason their owners think its okay to let them run the neighborhood. It is dangerous, not only for the animals but for people in the neighborhood as well. I can't even count how many times I have retreated back into my house after being confronted in my own front yard by an angry, hungry dog. I think it is an educational thing and an ignorance thing. I mentioned in front of my father in law I was taking my newest dog to get fixed the next day and he actually responded with "Why?" He believes that by fixing my dog I am "ruining him," that he will no longer protect the house, he will become a "wimp and fat and lazy" and I am not allowing him to be a dog. Not only does my father in law treat dogs like they are disposable cups, but he lives in a neighborhood appropriately known as "Dogtown," where the dogs literally own the streets. On any given day you are guaranteed to find an incredible amount of dogs (and cats) of nearly every breed (yes pure bred dogs!) and mix roaming the streets. But I think there is an abundance of people in this town who think very similiarly to him. My husband's cousin says fixing animals is "too expensive" even though there are several programs in SA that offer low cost or in some cases no cost neutering/spaying. IMO, if you can't afford to take care of the animal then you shouldn't own it in the first place. I never understand people who live below or at the poverty line being pet owners. I know the joy pets can bring to someone's life, but pet ownership is a privledge AND a huge responsibility but if you barely have enough to feed your family then you don't can't reasonably care for another living, breathing creature that relies nearly 100% on you for sustanance. I hope that SA will continue trying to educate people on being responsible owners and dispelling the myths about neutering and spaying pets as well as offering low cost altering services despite the fact that so many people ignore it. I just hope the city doesn't abandon its effort because of so many people's indifference.

mtdave2 · 08-07-2009, 08:22 AM

i work on the south west side, on the rail road. we see tons of these poor dogs. a few of us do our best to feed some of them. its really heartbreaking, its hard for me to see. but, its just a different culture here. in Mexico a dog is just a dog, no different that a chicken really. (or at least i am told by the Hispanic guys i work with)

there is no way you will get them to change, they wont spay and neuter even if was free. perhaps if you pay them they might. there is a strange connection i have seen to, for some reason some Hispanic males feel like less of a man when their dog has been neutered. this baffles me, but apparently is the truth.

couple this, with people letting their dogs just wonder around to get hit by cars, and BREED. lots and lots of litters, no one to take responsibility, you get lots of strays and unwanted dogs.

i have no idea if it is fixable. when you have a population with these kind of views, i just don’t see it changing.

perticusrex · 08-07-2009, 08:29 AM

Unfortunately I have to agree with MtDave to an extent. It seems like a blaket statement, but in the Latino culture we tend to treat dogs/cats like they are "just dogs" and they are often times not considered part of the family - instead they are disposable "things" that are treated as such. It doesn't matter if they have food, water, shelter because they are animals and should know how to survive. The understanding of the distinction between wild animal and domestic pet doesn't exist unfortunately and trying to explain it is usually like talking to a brick wall or speaking a foreign language. BUT I do think the mentality can be changed - just the level of agressiveness in getting the information out there and how its presented probably needs to be increased and changed so that it is relatable and easily understood to this particular demographic.

ashbeeigh · 08-07-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtdave2

i work on the south west side, on the rail road. we see tons of these poor dogs. a few of us do our best to feed some of them. its really heartbreaking, its hard for me to see. but, its just a different culture here. in Mexico a dog is just a dog, no different that a chicken really. (or at least i am told by the Hispanic guys i work with)

there is no way you will get them to change, they wont spay and neuter even if was free. perhaps if you pay them they might. there is a strange connection i have seen to, for some reason some Hispanic males feel like less of a man when their dog has been neutered. this baffles me, but apparently is the truth.

couple this, with people letting their dogs just wonder around to get hit by cars, and BREED. lots and lots of litters, no one to take responsibility, you get lots of strays and unwanted dogs.

i have no idea if it is fixable. when you have a population with these kind of views, i just don’t see it changing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by perticusrex

Unfortunately I have to agree with MtDave to an extent. It seems like a blaket statement, but in the Latino culture we tend to treat dogs/cats like they are "just dogs" and they are often times not considered part of the family - instead they are disposable "things" that are treated as such. It doesn't matter if they have food, water, shelter because they are animals and should know how to survive. The understanding of the distinction between wild animal and domestic pet doesn't exist unfortunately and trying to explain it is usually like talking to a brick wall or speaking a foreign language. BUT I do think the mentality can be changed - just the level of agressiveness in getting the information out there and how its presented probably needs to be increased and changed so that it is relatable and easily understood to this particular demographic.

It's makes me feel horrible to actually think that is true, but it is.

V3rtigo · 08-07-2009, 09:39 AM

welcome to san antonio, where we kill 50,000 dogs per year. we really need some strict rules (that get enforced) on breeding. I've never seen so many inbred dogs (and their owners werent too far off), strays, and people who cant afford to feed their families but have dogs. it's just digusting.

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." -Mohandas Gandhi

ashbeeigh · 08-07-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V3rtigo

welcome to san antonio, where we kill 50,000 dogs per year. we really need some strict rules (that get enforced) on breeding. I've never seen so many inbred dogs (and their owners werent too far off), strays, and people who cant afford to feed their families but have dogs. it's just digusting.

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." -Mohandas Gandhi

nevermind.

jwebtx · 08-07-2009, 02:29 PM

South of Hildebrand and West of Blanco is awash with roaming dogs and cats. I would be on the phone with the city daily if my hood had that many loose animals. Its foul.

sapphire · 08-07-2009, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

nevermind.

I don't know why you'd want to be mean. He was just stating basically what you said, only not so "soft". We DO need to enforce our laws, and these backyard breeders need to be put out of business. Also, as mentioned, the thought process...re: it's "just a dog"...needs to be changed. I think we all recognize there's a huge problem, and Ghandi's words ring true.