Campaign to tackle Dallas' loose dog problem comes to an end after 6 years

After Antoinette Brown was bitten more than 100 times by a pack of dogs in southern Dallas in 2016, the city and community partners knew they had to do something. It launched an ambitious spay-neuter campaign, but that is now coming to an end. Here's what happens next.

DALLAS - The six-year effort to tackle Dallas’ loose dog problem with an ambitious spay-neuter campaign has come to an end.

But Dallas Animal Services says it has a plan that the department hopes will build on the momentum the program created.

With nearly 70,000 dogs altered, vaccinated and microchipped through the Spay Neuter Surge, a privately funded report found the program led to a dramatic decrease in the city’s loose dog problem. The question now is what happens next?

After Antoinette Brown was bitten more than 100 times by a pack of dogs in southern Dallas in 2016, the city and community partners knew they had to do something.

"The work is not done, but we made enormous strides," said Spay Neuter Network Executive Director Jordan Craig.

At the time of the deadly mauling, a report found there were nearly 9,000 dogs roaming Dallas neighborhoods.

Then in 2017, private fundraising launched an ambitious campaign with the Spay Neuter Network. The goal was to alter 138,000 dogs in just three years.

In 2020, the program was extended right as the pandemic began.

In the end, 68,000 dogs were altered, 45,993 of those surgeries were provided by the SPCA of Texas.

"The long-lasting impact is created by community partners and clinics where there were veterinary desserts before, and they are not going away," Craig said.

A report by the Jan Reese-Jones Foundation credits the program with decreasing the number of loose dogs in southern Dallas by 58%.

DAS says it cannot share the report with FOX 4.

A presentation by das in October showed bites increased from 568 in fiscal year 2021 to 805 in fiscal year 2022. But new numbers DAS provided Tuesday show a drop in the city's first fiscal quarter this year.

There were 205 bites from October to January compared with 242 bites in that same period a year ago.

"What Dallas Animal Services has done is continue to subsidize spay-neuter services for dogs that get a violation or citation," said DAS Director Melissa Webber.

Webber says people in violation of the city ordinance to have their dog altered can make an appointment to receive the surgery worth around $300-600 with just a $20 copay.

Project director Aaron Asmus says the spay-neuter outreach had an exponential impact.

"There were 108,000 fewer intact dogs than if the project had not happened," he said. "It’s a huge benefit for the community today and moving forward,"

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The Spay Neuter Network is now offering low-cost spay neuters for $80-$120. That is still much less than the average cost of $300-$600.

SPCA of Texas also provides spay and neuter services at the Myron K. Martin Spay/Neuter and Veterinary Care Clinic.

You can check pricing here.

The SPCA of Texas and Dallas County also offer a free dog and cat spay/neuter surgery package for pet owners, which includes a microchip, rabies vaccination and DHPPv for dogs and FVRCP for cats.

The service is available for anyone living in the following zip codes: 75098, 75125, 75141, 75146, 75159, 75172, and 75181