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HOUSTON - The excess heat earlier this week has claimed the lives of two Houston-area dogs, the SPCA announced Wednesday.
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Animal Cruelty Investigators and Constable deputies with Harris County Precinct 1 were called to several heat-related distress calls Monday. The first happened in the afternoon at the 10000 block of Wortham Blvd near FM 1960.
That's where officials found two dead French Bulldogs and a third dog emaciated outside a second-story balcony. We're told the fence around the balcony was wrapped with a makeshift covering blocking views from the parking lot.
(Photo courtesy of Houston SPCA)
Houston SPCA says authorities at the scene said there was no water on the patio, which was filled with scattered wood shavings and empty bowls. The surviving French Bulldog was brought back to the SPCA for both a veterinary and cruelty exam.
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Hours later, officers and animal cruelty investigators were called to another scene, where a 10-month-old dog was found wearing a tightly-fitted muzzle while panting heavily on a second-story balcony of an apartment near Forum Dr. on the city's southwest side.
(Photo courtesy of Houston SPCA)
That dog was rushed to the SPCA's Medical Center for veterinary care.
This latest report is one of more than 240 heat-related calls the Houston SPCA has responded to from June 1 through June 20. That's more than twice since 2022.
It is a felony to subject pets to life-threatening conditions in Texas that's punishable by up to two years in prison as well as a $10,000 fine.