On Tuesday the Dallas City Council will take a look at proposed changes to help the city deal with its ongoing efforts in the loose and stray dog crisis. Among them, proposed crackdowns on micro-chipping and tethering dogs.
Some of the changes made last year are already showing improvements. The surgery suites at Dallas Animal Services are a flurry of activity. A staff of two veterinarians spays or neuters an estimated 50 animals a day, trying to cut down future population growth.
A study commissioned by the city last year estimated there were 8,700 loose or stray dogs in Dallas.
"It's going to take time," said DAS spokeswoman Gabi Vaninni. "It's a multi-faceted thing. Everyone has to work together and it's not just spay/neuter. It's not just bringing in stray dogs."
The goal is to pick up 1,200 dogs a month. On Monday evening, a dog named Canelo was brought in by animal control officers.
"When we first impounded the dog he was a puppy," said the officer looking at an intake photo from last year. Canelo was micro-chipped then, making it possible to identify him when he was picked up Monday wandering Dallas' streets. "It's the owners. We got to try to do better."
"Instead of waiting for people to call them and complain, now we're out there trying to get ahead of the problem," explained Vaninni. She says citations are up 102-percent over this time last year.
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The number of dogs sent to rescue groups is up too, by 26-percent.
"This guy will literally crawl into my lap," said Nicki Powers, a volunteer with DAS and Dallas Pets Alive. Powers checks out dogs and cats that could be suitable for rescue groups. "So it really helps to move these dogs out, to move into foster homes."
The real test for the new strategy will come this summer. That's when the animal shelter is usually at it's fullest.
