SAN ANTONIO – As the area continues to prepare for inclement weather, Animal Control Services is also keeping busy.
ACS responded to a home on the city’s West Side and rescued nearly a dozen dogs who were left chained outside in freezing temperatures without proper shelter.
“We just impounded 11 animals on a warrant,” said Lt. Bethany Snowden, Animal Control Services.
Tuesday was not the first time ACS responded to the location. Snowden said they’ve been responding to this home for close to a year, issuing criminal citations last month.
“We got another report yesterday. We came out. There was no change. So we left our notice to remove and correct the violation immediately, and that did not happen this morning,” said Snowden.
Some animals are expected to be OK. Others were not in the best of health.
Snowden said some animals had obvious medical issues but could not go into detail.
Per the Texas Health and Safety Code, an owner may not leave a dog outside and unattended with restraints that limit the dog’s movement in the case of extreme weather.
In this case, the dog owners could face animal cruelty charges depending on the outcome of their set hearing.
“The owners have been advised when that hearing date is. That’s for custody of the animals, and so essentially, we’ll go to court next week to determine who gets custody of the animals from this point forward,” said Snowden.
ACS reminds the public to keep their pets in mind during inclement conditions and says if it’s too cold for us, then it’s probably too cold for your pets.
“Save yourself from getting a visit from us and just bring your dogs inside, even if it’s a garage. This is cold,” said Snowden.
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