Dallas stray dog ​​campaign comes to an end after 6 years

DALLAS – A six-year effort to tackle Dallas’ stray dog ​​problem with an ambitious neutering campaign has come to an end.

But Dallas Animal Services says they have a plan that the department hopes will build on the momentum created by the program.

Nearly 70,000 dogs have been modified, vaccinated and microchipped through the Spay Neuter Surge program, according to a privately funded report, and the program has led to a dramatic reduction in the city’s stray dog ​​problem. The question now is, what’s next?

After Antoinette Brown was bitten over 100 times by a pack of dogs in south Dallas in 2016, city and local partners knew they had to do something.

“The work is not yet done, but we have made huge strides,” said Spay Neuter network chief executive Jordan Craig.

The report states that around 9,000 dogs were roaming the Dallas area at the time of the fatal attack.

Then, in 2017, a private fundraiser launched the ambitious Spay Neuter Network campaign. The goal was to change 138,000 dogs in just three years.

In 2020, the program was extended immediately after the start of the pandemic.

In the end, 68,000 dogs were converted.

“Long-term impact is being made by community partners and clinics where veterinary desserts used to be, and they’re not going anywhere,” Craig said.

The Ian Rees-Jones Foundation report says the program has reduced the number of stray dogs in south Dallas by 58%.

DAS says it cannot share the report with FOX 4.

The Das presentation in October showed bites increased from 568 in FY 2021 to 805 in FY 2022. But new figures released by DAS on Tuesday show a decline in the city’s first fiscal quarter this year.

From October to January, 205 bites were recorded compared to 242 bites in the same period a year ago.

“What Dallas Animal Services has done is continue to subsidize neutering services for dogs that have received a violation or fine,” said DAS director Melissa Webber.

Webber says people violating a city ordinance about changing their dog’s shape can make an appointment to get the surgery, costing about $3,600, with just a $20 copay.

Project director Aaron Asmus says the sterilization program has had an exponential impact.

“There were 108,000 fewer intact dogs than if the project had not taken place,” he said. “This is a huge benefit to the community today and in the future.”

The Spay Neuter chain now offers inexpensive neutered neutered pets ranging from $80 to $120. That’s still a lot less than the $3,600 average.

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