Animal Control / Investigations
Enforcement
Animal Care Services enforcement division is responsible for protecting the health and safety of the citizens and their pets in Bexar County (City of San Antonio).
Animal Care Officers provide a variety of services to the citizens in both the City of San Antonio and the unincorporated areas of Bexar County including:
- Answering calls concerning suspected abuse or cruelty to animals
- Animal Bites
- Barking dog, nuisance cats and other animals that present a problem to the community
- Injured animals
- Livestock issues
Rabies Prevention
One of the primary missions of Animal Care Services is rabies prevention. ACS has a dedicated staff of Animal Care Officers whose main focus is investigating biting animals. Texas state law requires that every animal bite or scratch must be reported. These animal bites can be reported 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Cruelty to Animals
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Cruelty
to animals is a serious offense. Cruelty comes in many forms such as an animal
not having food, water or shelter to an animal being locked in a hot car or an
animal being beaten or tortured in some way. Animal Care Services rely on good
neighbors to report these acts of cruelty. If you witness an act of
cruelty, please call 311 and make a detailed report including your call back
number so we may get more information if needed. You can remain anonymous
if you wish, but it's important you provide 311 representatives with as much
information as possible. An Animal Cruelty Investigator will move forward
with a case if cruelty or neglect can be legally proved.
Responsible Pet Ownership
Every citizen of the City of San Antonio and Bexar County wants to be a responsible pet owner. Listed below are a few common sense rules that each pet owner needs to follow to become a responsible pet owner.
- Feeding stray animals on your property can result in you being deemed the owner of the animal. If you have a stray
animal, you should contact Animal Care Services to collect the animal and care for it. - Animals may not be sold, traded, bartered, leased, rented, given away, or displayed for a commercial purpose on any
roadside, public right-of-way, commercial parking or at any flea market or festival. - Permits must be purchased for activities regarding animals including the sale of animals, having a litter of puppies or
kittens and possessing excess animals. - Feral cat colonies are encouraged, but the caretaker of a colony must purchase a cat colony permit. Cat colonies with
eight (8) or fewer cats do not require a permit.
How to contact Enforcement
Dial 311 to report all animal related concerns. A call for service will be started and your request will be dispatched to the appropriate division.