October 20, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is working with the city of San Antonio to conduct an automated survey of “unrestrained” dogs. The program is using machine vision software paired with cell phone cameras, as the city seeks to better characterize the population of free-ranging animals.
“We are excited to test this technology and help San Antonio apply real-world solutions to an issue affecting many residents,” said Mike Koets, staff engineer in SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division.
The automated project will recreate a manual survey conducted in 2019 when volunteers helped the city’s Animal Care Services (ACS) Department identify unrestrained dogs and classify them as either “stray” or “roaming.” Strays appear to be malnourished and skittish, while dogs that seem healthier and more approachable are likely owned by local families and are classified as roaming.
“This study gives us another tool to better understand where we are seeing unrestrained dogs while also supporting our broader work to protect the health and safety of people and pets in San Antonio,” said ACS Director Jon Gary. “Ultimately, this study and the data we get from it will help promote responsible pet care and strengthen community connection.”
The latest ACS survey will leverage SwRI-developed tools that pair a cellular phone mounted to a vehicle window with object detection and data analysis software. Starting in this month, SwRI engineers will deploy the system in the same study locations, spread across 32 areas, used in the 2019 survey.
Automated and human review of the video clips will verify that the detected animals were unrestrained, determine any human supervision, verify the number of dogs present and assess whether the dog was owned or a stray.
“This study takes a sampling approach, so we are not surveying the entire city, but these locations represent areas where unrestrained dogs are common,” said Koets.
After conducting research between October and December of 2026, SwRI will compile a final report with summary data and videos of observed dogs.
SwRI is a nonprofit applied research and development organization based in San Antonio, conducting R&D for a variety of clients in government, industry and consortia. SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division is a leader in development of robotics, automation, software, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and systems engineering solutions.
Visit Animal Care Services at https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/ACS.
For more information, visit Machine Learning Technologies or contact Robert Crowe, +1 210 522 4630, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.