SAN ANTONIO – A man who claimed ownership of a pack of dogs involved in a Wednesday afternoon attack on a woman told KSAT 12 News he is sorry about what happened.
The man arrived Thursday morning at his South Side home just as officers with Animal Care Services returned to seize one dog they left behind on Wednesday night.
The man said he works out of town and was not home when they escaped his yard.
“Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario happened,” the owner, who asked not to be identified in an interview with KSAT. “I’d like to apologize for being an irresponsible pet owner.”
He said officers took seven dogs from his home and left him with two.
According to a report from San Antonio police, a 44-year-old woman, who was walking down West Southcross Boulevard near Somerset Road, was attacked by several dogs just before 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The report said she suffered a bite to her leg, a minor injury. It also said the dogs bit into a patrol vehicle and a truck belonging to ACS.
Video from a nearby business owner shows the animals tearing apart a light on the front of the SAPD vehicle.
The owner, however, said his dogs are usually even-tempered and “nice.”
“They’re not aggressive. They do bark. They bark at dogs. They bark at cars,” he said.
Neighbors, however, seemed to disagree with the owner. KSAT 12 News spoke to several people off-camera.
One man spoke on the record under the condition that we also hide his identity. He said he feared the owner’s dogs for some time.
“If you walk, you have to walk on the other side of the street,” the man said.
Michael Calloway walked past the area Thursday morning after dropping off his car for repairs and shared his opinion.
“The dog owners: they need to be held accountable for their animals,” Calloway said.
Calloway, who owns five dogs himself, said he is always careful to control his pets.
Just recently, Calloway said, a relative in another part of the city was attacked by someone else’s loose pets.
“About four or five dogs,” Calloway said. “(He) had to be taken to a hospital. Stitches on both arms.”
The dog owner, meanwhile, said he faces major consequences. During a Thursday afternoon news conference, ACS interim director Mike Shannon said ACS issued more than 30 citations to the pet owner for multiple broken laws.
“This is an example of a dog owner creating a dangerous situation,” Shannon said Thursday. “This wasn’t one misstep. It was multiple.”
In the case of the woman who was bitten on West Southcross Boulevard, police said she is expected to recover from her minor injuries. Shannon said Thursday that the victim had been discharged from the hospital.
The owner said his attempt at pet ownership began with good intentions. Several years ago, the owner said he took in a pregnant stray dog, but the single pet quickly gave way to a pack.
“That one dog left a litter, which became another litter,” the owner said.
In 2021, San Antonio police said its officers were called to the home for three dogs running loose and chasing people.
At that time, the owner said ACS seized several of his pets.
The dog owner said the animals, who were not vaccinated or fixed, continued to reproduce and their numbers, again, got out of hand.
At the time of Wednesday’s attack, he said he had nine dogs he repeatedly had tried to keep contained.
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