No person in San Antonio should ever be mauled to death by a dog. But in the span of nine years, two elderly residents have died from such attacks, punctuating the persistent crisis of irresponsible pet ownership here.
In the Feb. 24 death of Ramon Najera Jr., 81, we see and feel echoes of the March 31, 2014 death of Petra Aguirre, 83. Najera was picking up pants from a seamstress when he was attacked. He had planned to wear these pants for a new job as a security guard. Aguirre was feeding her cats in her backyard when she was attacked. She was 10 feet away from her back door.
Najera and Aguirre were attacked on the West Side and died in their 80s. The pit bulls that mauled them had known histories of biting.
Najera “was a San Antonio native, a US Air Force veteran, and an adventurous, outgoing, and loving family man,” his grieving family wrote on a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses. “He was recently put on dialysis but was determined to enjoy life to the fullest despite his health condition.”
Aguirre was so devout, her Bible was in tatters and nearly every handbag she owned had a rosary. “My mom was the type of person, you know, this happened to her at 5 o’clock,” her son, Chris Aguirre, told us in 2014. “You know, at 5:05 she probably forgave (the dog’s owner), and then at 5:06 she was probably praying for us that we would do the same.”
Aguirre’s ears were torn off. A dialysis shunt was torn out of Najera’s body.
Two elderly San Antonians mauled to death nine years apart. This should never happen. Not once. Not twice in nine years. Each attack was entirely preventable. In the span of those nine years, how many other times did roaming dogs bite, attack and terrorize innocent San Antonians?
In the Najera case, the owners of the three attacking dogs, Christian Alexander Moreno and Abilene Schnieder, have been charged with dangerous dog attack causing death and injury to an elderly individual, which are felonies.
Ultimately, Moreno and Schnieder are responsible for their actions as owners. Express-News reporter Peggy O’Hare has chronicled how the couple’s dogs terrorized the surrounding neighborhood near Cupples Road and U.S. 90.
Animal Care Services received 13 complaints related to Moreno’s and Schnieder’s dogs after the couple moved to Depla Street in 2020. Two neighbors reported bites and injuries to ACS. After one of those incidents on Jan. 12, ACS issued two citations and temporarily impounded Moreno’s dogs until fines and fees were paid, but the agency did not launch a dangerous dog investigation.
That’s because state law requires a dangerous dog affidavit to be filed by a victim, ACS Director Shannon Sims told O’Hare.
This points to a necessary and immediate change in state law — Animal Control officers need to have the power to launch an independent dangerous dog investigation. Otherwise, it puts too much onus on victims who may feel intimidated or threatened by their neighbors. Case in point, San Antonio Police responded to 39 calls for service to Moreno’s residence in a 14-month period beginning Jan. 1, 2022. He also has a lengthy criminal record in Medina County.
That said, the city also needs to ensure ACS officers always alert bite victims of the option of requesting a dangerous dog investigation. It’s unclear if this always happens.
Animal Care Services also needs more bite officers to conduct investigations and maintain ongoing inspections when a bite has been reported or there are multiple complaints about an animal connected to one residence. The city does have a modest fencing repair program — and that must be made more robust while removing bureaucratic hurdles.
Animal Care Services preaches the mantra of responsible pet ownership: spaying and neutering, maintaining vaccines, providing a loving and supportive home. Anyone who adopts a dog through ACS can take advantage of free training. But that mantra — noble and right as it is — needs to be complemented with a sense of urgency about cracking down on irresponsible and dangerous pet ownership.
San Antonio Express-News
