Dogs chained in front of houses without any shelter and without proper nutrition and water should be a thing of the past in Texas, USA. This is because a bill banning chain leashes for dogs has passed one body of the Texas legislature, the Senate. It now has to pass the House of Representatives. Animal advocates and all decent people are hopeful that this bill will pass and become law. It is called the “Adequate Shelter and Restraint Bill” (Senate Bill 295).
It will get rid of all chains. Dog owners will have to tether their dogs and not chain them. It is surprising to me that you can still see dogs chained up on short leashes in Texas, specifically in some Huston neighbourhoods. It’s clearly animal abuse. Some people don’t get it. Robert Brown who chains his dogs to a tree outside his Huston home said:
You have to use a chain, because see, some of these little bands that they have-they would break.
Clearly he hasn’t got a clue about the immorality of chaining dogs all day long. The bill, though, does allow leashes but they have to be at least 10 feet long or five times the length of the dog. And the owner has to give access to adequate shelter while leashed.
At the moment there are no laws protecting a dog who is on the verge of dying because he is chained in extremely hot temperatures without shelter and without food and water. That dog would die and the owner would not be breaking the law.
The new law also allows law enforcement to take immediate action when there is a violation of the law. Currently police have to allow an owner 24 hours notice before taking action.
This story was reported on Fox 26 Huston. Some elements of this post are clearly my opinion and not straight news.
