Proposed law aimed at bad pet owners who keep dogs inhumanely chained

Proposed law to ensure pets are kept safe when outdoors

FOX 26 reporter Randy Wallace has more on the proposed law aimed at ensuring pets are kept safe while outdoors.

HOUSTON - When it comes to current state law addressing chained dogs, the law is not in favor of the dog.

"They can be on the end of chains, they can be out in extremely hot or cold weather, and there’s really nothing to protect them," said Tena Lundquist Faust. "This is a sheltering bill. What we want to do is provide adequate shelter to make these dogs safe."

"We are a non-profit that lobbies for animal protection laws down at the state capitol," said Stacy Sutton Kerby with Texas Humane Legislation Network.

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The non-profit has been around 45 years and says the proposed new law would also protect humans.

"If a dog is inhumanely chained outside 24/7, that dog is so much more likely to be frustrated and aggressive, and the person most likely to be bit or mauled by that frustrated dog, that can’t run away, is a child," said Kerby.

"What we want to do is provide some guidelines, some protection for animals that are outdoor dogs," said Faust.

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Current law requires animal control or law enforcement to witness a chained dogs condition for three hours straight and give the dog owner 24 hours to correct the situation.

"It would cure the loopholes in the current state statute that don’t require water and don’t spell out the provisions for safely restraining a dog outside," Kerby.

For more information, visit the Texas Humane Legislation Network or Houston PetSet.