SAN ANTONIO — An east-side homeowner is fed up with dangerous roaming dogs after his own pet was nearly mauled to death.
He said it happened last Wednesday in the Denver Heights neighborhood.
Aaron Salinas' 4-year-old indoor and outdoor cat, Chai, nearly escaped, and the attack was caught on his surveillance camera.
“I can’t even take a walk down my block,” Salinas said. “You step outside, look down, there are at least five dogs or more.”
He chose to post about the incident online to raise awareness surrounding the dangerous dog situation in San Antonio and specifically in his neighborhood.
“Because it could have easily been a child or been someone elderly, someone in a vulnerable state,” Salinas said.
He said he was not home when Chai was sniffed out by two roaming dogs.
“You are able to actually see two dogs run up to my front steps smelling, trying to hunt her,” he said.
He said thanks to his neighbor, his cat was able to escape.
“She bravely ran across the street and broke up the altercation and was able to scare off the dogs,” Salinas said.
Chai did have serious injuries and spent several days in and out of the emergency vet clinic and is still dealing with medical complications due to the attack. Salinas set up a GoFundMe to help pay for those expenses that he said are now exceeding $7,000.
Salinas said she has had conversations with his councilman, District 2’s Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who helped with getting Animal Care Services involved quickly.
A spokesperson for ACS said they have set up traps in the area to cut down on the number of strays and are trying to locate the two dogs involved.
So far, four dogs have been picked up by ACS but they have not found those two dogs involved in the attack.
“I really hope that the city can do something about this epidemic,” Salinas said. “It’s really sad I can’t feel safe on my own front porch, on my own front steps.”
If you spot a dangerous dog or animal engaged in threatening behavior, call 311.