Dallas loose dog bites up 37%, animal services say
DALLAS - Dallas Animal Services is working to combat a rise in loose dog bites in the city.
The DAS director told Dallas City Council members Tuesday that dog bites this quarter are up 37% compared with a year ago.
The director said she and her team are working to figure out what is behind the significant increase in dog bites since October.
The theory is that it could be tied to warmer weather combined with fewer people reporting loose dogs.
DAS Director Melissa Webber says the nearly 40% increase in dog bites in the first quarter this fiscal year is not because of unowned stray dogs.
Webber says of the 205 dog bites, 58 were by dogs without owners, and a whopping 147 others did have owners but were wandering loose.
"So to fix it systemically is to get folks to keep their dogs confined," she said.
A heat map shows where DAS is getting the most calls about loose dogs. Red and yellow indicate the highest concentration.
Dallas City Council members asked about enforcement.
Citations for a loose dog without a leash range from $200-$2,000.
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But Webber explained that, often, fines are forgiven if people can show they have solved the problem.
This year, DAS received a $250,000 budget increase for spay/neuter surgeries. That covers about 2,000 pets.
The goal is that when people receive a citation, they are able to have their pet receive a free surgery in order to get their ticket dismissed.
But completing all the surgeries still has its challenges even with the funding.
"We have to keep in mind we have a national vet shortage," Webber said.
After a Dallas woman was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in 2016, private fundraisers brought in $13 million to launch an ambitious spay/neuter campaign. That came to an end one year ago after nearly 70,000 surgeries.
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Meanwhile, shelter space remains a challenge.
"We have over 500 dogs in the shelter, and that is our capacity challenge," Webber said.
Dallas Animal Services is at 140% of its capacity right now, but Webber credits the spay/neuter campaign for having a lasting impact.
"Even though intake is creeping up, I think the reason it is not so big automatically is because of that project," she said.
The number of calls to report loose dogs is down about 30%. Webber says that could be a reason why bites are up.
You can report a loose dog in Dallas by calling 311 or by using the Dallas 311 mobile app.
Also this weekend, DAS is providing $50 gift cards to Petco with dog adoptions. The gift cards are provided by Friends of Dallas Animal Services until they run out.