Texas dog owners may soon be prohibited from tying their dogs up outdoors…
It was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbot on Monday, after he vetoed a prior version of the measure earlier this summer…
Chained or weighed-down shackles of any kind will be outlawed on January 18, 2022, when the new legislation takes effect. Ten feet or five times the dog’s nose-to-tail length must be the length of a dog’s outside restraint..
While tethered, dogs cannot be left alone provided their owners provide them with “sufficient” shelter, shade from sunshine, drinking water and protection from “inclement weather.”
Legislation enforcement will no longer be prohibited from acting in a case involving an illegally kept dog for 24 hours according to the new regulation repealed by the new law.
Class C misdemeanors carry a punishment of up to $500 for anyone found guilty of breaking the law. A Class B misdemeanor might be issued to repeat offenders.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had already rejected a similar version of the legislation in June because of its “micro-managing” terminology, such as “the fitting of the dog’s collar,” “the length of tether-to-dog length,” and “the duration spent in the truck bed.”
Texas Animal Control Association President Jamey Cantrell told The Texas Tribune earlier this month that public outcry likely swayed Abbott into signing the altered law.
As Cantrell put it at the time of the controversy: “If there was no outcry… it would still be something that we’d be working on next legislative session.” There are those who argue that Texas is where it is now because of the actions of Texans who came forth and made their voices heard.
Texas Humane Legislation Network executive director Shelby Bobosky told the Tribune that “some basic guidelines in place for dogs that permanently reside outdoors” were needed after last year’s deadly winter storm…
“Minor” adjustments have been made to the original bill, according to state senator Eddie Lucio Jr. of Brownsville, and he hopes that the newly approved legislation would provide “a lot of dogs a new way of life” in the state.
In other cases, such as public campgrounds or recreational places, this regulation may not apply. Those engaged in hunting, herding cattle, and developing agricultural goods are also excluded from the ban on dogs and their owners. Within reason, dogs may be left unsupervised in an open-air truck bed.
Even if the legislation does not explicitly explain how, certain situational constraints will be authorized…
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