SAN ANTONIO — The latest dog attack in San Antonio reignited the shock and trauma for Beatrice De Los Santos whose husband continues to recover from being mauled himself in August.
“When I heard about that gentlemen, it just broke my heart,” De Los Santos said. “It’s like a repeat, it’s like oh my god I know how he’s feeling.”
A 40-year-old man was walking along San Gabriel at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when he was attacked by two dogs. A neighbor heard the commotion and shot both dogs, killing one. The wounded dog was surrendered by the owner and died in Animal Care Services custody.
In De Los Santos’ husband Max’s case, he was attacked by two dogs, leading to extensive injuries and amputation of both of his legs. Neighbors ultimately stepped in to help Max, which De Los Santos says saved his life.
As ACS works to ramp up boots on the ground to respond to bite calls, the department’s director Shannon Sims breaks down the reality of reported bites across the Alamo City. Animal bites as defined by state law don’t just include dogs, but other animals as well. The calls may not explicitly involve the physical action of biting but scratching.
“We’ve been averaging roughly 150 severe bites a year in previous years and averaging 3,500 total bites. This year, we’re averaging just over 3,000 total bites but almost 100 more severe bites,” Sims said. “Last night, ACS graduated 16 new officers. Actually, some of them went into the field last night. We still don’t have the ability to be everywhere.”
Sims stressed once again the community has a prominent role in preventing future dog attacks.
“There’s no way around it, you have to keep your animal on your property."
As for De Los Santos, she’s keeping strong alongside her husband who remains at the hospital recovering. He must learn to adapt to living life in a physically new way since both of his legs had to be amputated. She shared this message with the community.
“He’s excited. He keeps saying when are we going to go home,” De Los Santos said. “Treat your animals like your family. Do not jeopardize anybody’s life or your own life for that matter.”
De Los Santos also stressed it's important for residents to speak up and call 311 to report any concerns about dangerous animals.
Over the next two years, ACS aims to go from 28 to 42 first responders using $28.5 million approved for the fiscal year 2024 city budget.
Efforts are also underway to hire two additional dangerous dog investigators and four more bite investigators.
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