Interview: Selling puppies can cost you hundreds of dollars in criminal citations

Illegal roadside dog sales are popping up around San Antonio and local animal lovers are asking Animal Care Services to do something. We spoke with ACS about what they're doing to crack down on what they call a years long issue.

"Without nipping this is in the backside, we will continue to have the problem that we have in San Antonio -- with the overpopulation," animal advocate Angelia Tate said in a Facebook live.

That video shows the scene Tate says is the weekend norm outside of the Poteet Flea Mart. The vendors in the video can be selling dogs — reportedly without city-mandated permits.

"It starts here with the irresponsibility and not even knowing if these dogs even have -- or these puppies even have their vaccinations or have been [dewormed]," Tate said.

On December 21, ACS raided the same spot on the Poteet Jourdanton access road. Officers took 24 puppies and wrote 21 tickets, but sellers came right back on Sunday.

"That area along Poteet-Jourdanton is certainly a hot spot," said ACS' Public Relations Manager, Lisa Norwood. "But unfortunately, this sort of illegal activity is going on throughout San Antonio."

Tate said she's grateful for ACS' efforts

"They're finally doing something," she said tearfully on a separate Facebook live.

But she's asking them to come down harder on illegal sales for the animals' health, and the safety of San Antonio.

"It's like a pipeline if we don't stop it here, and we keep flooding.. the water keeps coming and flooding our home," Tate said. "We've got to start here and just enforce."

"Just because you don't see something happening doesn't mean that it's not," Norwood responded. "We're well aware of the hot spots in San Antonio where this is happening, but we can't be everywhere all the time."

Norwood said busts can take time, and long investigations. But she issued a warning to people selling pets illegally...

"We may not catch you the first time, but we're gonna catch you," Norwood said. "Is it worth it?"

The penalty for illegal pet sales can be a ticket as high as $300 and even jail time. There isn't a legal penalty for buyers, but Norwood still suggests that shoppers think twice.

"In a lot of cases, you've got a pet that's unhealthy," she explained. "There's going to be a penalty to be paid... that penalty, oftentimes, is that pet's life."