Riding Shotgun With Strays - You'll Never Look at Stray Dogs the Same Way After Watching!

Join the official ‪@AnimalRescueNetwork‬ channel to help more dogs:    / @animalrescuenetwork   Ride along on the front lines of animal advocacy and empirical street surveys in this comprehensive, full-length episode of Riding Shotgun With Strays, an official production of the World Animal Awareness Society (WA2S.org). Executive Director Tom McPhee navigates the streets of San Antonio alongside featured guest and frontline animal advocate Ray Najera. Together, they conduct digital canine population surveys, examine the systemic challenges of municipal animal management, and discuss their upcoming 26-episode broadcast-quality PSA campaign, San Antonio Pet Promise. ⏱️ Complete Episode Chapters & Timestamps 00:00 - 01:11 | Texas Animal Rescue Tours Satire & Intro: The episode opens with a satirical advertisement for luxury animal rescue tours. It quickly transitions into the real-life rescue work and street documentation unfolding in Texas. 01:11 - 02:15 | Theme Song & Mapping San Antonio: The official WA2S theme song kicks off the drive. Tom McPhee introduces the mission of mapping San Antonio's streets, surveying canine populations, and interviewing frontline animal welfare experts. 02:16 - 04:44 | WA2S Announcements: PetNetSA & Screwworm Surveys: Tom announces the launch of PetNetSA, an interactive geospatial asset-mapping application designed to connect community resources like trappers, groomers, vets, and rescues. He also updates viewers on ongoing canine surveys monitoring for regional screwworm threats. 04:44 - 06:21 | Introducing Guest Ray Najera & San Antonio Pet Promise: Tom introduces San Antonio Animal Advocate Ray Najera. 06:21 - 13:56 | Ray’s Story & The Tragic Loss of His Father: Ray shares the heartbreaking story of February 2023, when his father was fatally attacked by two loose pit bulls on Develin Street. He recounts the international media attention that followed and his realization of the neighborhood's long history with un-neighborly pet owners. 13:56 - 16:35 | Street Observations: The Neighborhood Chihuahua: Tom and Ray pause to log roaming dogs on the street, spotting a small yellow Chihuahua that runs the neighborhood. They discuss how small roaming pets frequently escape enclosures or are left out by owners without consequence. 16:35 - 24:48 | Systemic Municipal Failures & Unrecorded Data: Ray details how the owners involved in his father's attack had a lengthy history of calls to code enforcement, ACS, and police. Tom and Ray examine how municipal 311 and 911 complaints are often closed without tracking data or identifying dangerous neighborhood hotspots before tragedies occur. 24:48 - 29:03 | Post-Tragedy Reaction & The $60M Budget: The discussion examines the city's reactive scramble to fund Animal Care Services (ACS) after the international spotlight. Tom notes that despite a municipal ACS budget pushing $34 million—and a combined regional shelter budget of around $60 million—frontline enforcement remains insufficient. 29:03 - 33:19 | Field Behavior: Canine Mating Instincts on the Street: While documenting a roaming male and female dog interacting through a fence line, Tom and Ray analyze canine breeding instincts. 33:19 - 40:10 | Legislative Battles in Austin & Local Policy Changes: Ray recounts traveling to Austin with his family to testify before state committees for legislative reform, including a bill named after his father. 40:10 - 45:51 | Becoming a Frontline Advocate & Shifting Standards: Ray reflects on his personal shift from a lifelong San Antonio resident to an outspoken animal advocacy leader. 45:51 - 49:40 | Geospatial Tracking & Neighborhood Asset Ideas: Tom demonstrates how digital tracking logs exact GPS locations and photographs of loose animals. 49:40 - 53:38 | Behind the Scenes: Collaborating with Director Leo Lopez: Tom and Ray share insights into scripting San Antonio Pet Promise alongside director Leo Lopez. 53:38 - 59:54 | The Human Element: K9 Surveys as a Social Audit: 59:54 - 01:02:55 | Production Challenges & Roaming Cat Populations 01:02:55 - 01:07:37 | Real-Time Data Uploads & Long-Term Vision: Tom demonstrates closing out the digital survey, exporting GPS waypoints and photos directly to OpenStreetMap and Google Maps in under a minute. 01:07:37 - 01:09:17 | WA2S Network Sign-Off: World Animal Awareness Society & WA2S Films http://www.WA2S.org WA2S Films Facebook:   / wa2s.org   Help the World Animal Awareness Society save thousands of at risk dogs around the world. The work never stops, and we need you. Donate and save more lives! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... Subscribe and stay tuned for more videos from the WA2S Films official YouTube Channel:    / wa2sorg   WA2S Films c. 2026 All Rights Reserved We use a i to enhance our animal stories. http://www.WA2S.org/WA2S-Films 818.561.5109 Studio