San Antonio, Texas is City that Kills 2,000 stray pets every month! For the third straight year, the intake of dogs and cats at San Antonio’s Animal Care Services increased (29,115--2011; 25,192--2010; 22,155--2009). Likewise, euthanasias of dogs/cats grew (19,645--2011; 18,376--2010; 15,559--2009). Adoptions rose (4,337--2011; 2,925--2010; 2,751--2009), but not enough to stop euthanasias from climbing. There was a $500,000 grant for spay-neuter in 2011, and a grant of $300,000 is expected in 2012 for neutering of feral cats; however, these are singular grants that are not expected to repeat.

The combined effort of adoptions and singular spay-neuter grants may help to temporarily curb euthanasia growth; but with a growing dog/cat overpopulation and increasing intakes at the city shelter, those efforts alone will not suffice to reverse the euthanasia rise over the long run. Spay-neuter--which decreases the likelihood of unwanted puppies/kittens who become homeless and either die on streets or get euthanized--must be incentivized on a broader community basis to lower the overpopulation which is the core of the problem.

Non-profits and citizen groups lack the resources and leverage to substantially solve the crisis in a city with such a massive dog/cat overpopulation. But local governments who receive the taxpayer dollars and have jurisdiction of health and safety matters, can make a stronger impact.

Please contact the city council.  You can copy and paste this wording and the following addresses in an email to:  

mayorjuliancastro@sanantonio.gov​, citymanager@sanantonio.gov​, 

gary.hendel@sanantonio.gov​,  district1@sanantonio.gov​, 

district2@sanantonio.gov​, district3@sanantonio.gov​, 

district4@sanantonio.gov​, district5@sanantonio.gov​, 

district6@sanantonio.gov​, district7@sanantonio.gov​, 

district8@sanantonio.gov​, district9@sanantonio.gov​, 

district10@sanantonio.gov, 

Please request that the council pass a law--coupled with regular publicity of that law--which is a non-mandatory, but progressive spay-neuter ordinance requiring all owners without intact permits to spay-neuter unless the dog/cat is under 4 months old or has a medical exception.