Safer neighborhoods in San Antonio are becoming a reality through collaborative efforts between the community and San Antonio Animal Care Services (SAACS). The city department's Strategic Plan places a core priority on supporting safe communities, emphasizing public safety in neighborhoods through two main goals.

To achieve these objectives, SAACS has expanded its team, bringing on nearly twenty additional Animal Care Officers since the start of fiscal year 2024. Another group of cadets is set to undergo training at the department's academy by the end of February. These new officers will join first responder and investigative teams, which have already issued over 2,300 citations this fiscal year. Additionally, sixty-two dogs have been deemed Dangerous or Aggressive, while almost 11,000 animals have been brought into shelters during the same period. Notably, SAACS efforts have facilitated the return of 2,369 lost pets to their owners.

SAACS has also bolstered resources for the Community Animal Support and Assistance team (CASA), which aids pet owners in need through an internal referral system. Since its establishment in 2022, CASA has assisted 3,700 at-risk pets in remaining with their families and distributed nearly 6,000 tangible resources to local pet guardians.

Recognizing the link between unsterilized pets, roaming animals, and public safety, SAACS is launching two additional affordable spay-neuter clinics in underserved areas. Currently, SAACS supports five partner veterinary clinics across the city, with new facility locations determined by a San Antonio "veterinary desert" map. Funding to support pet sterilization opportunities has increased to over 1.6 million dollars annually.