Governor puts Safe Outdoor Dog Act on agenda for next legislative session after vetoing it last spring
HOUSTON - The non-profit organization Houston PetSet is just two days away from its annual Soirée. The event raises money for more than 70 animal rescue groups in Houston.
"They literally save tens of thousands of dogs and cats every year," said Tena Lundquist-Faust, co-President of Houston PetSet.
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Houston PetSet and other animal advocacy groups worked hard to make Senate Bill 474, which would protect tethered dogs, a law.
"We were shocked and we were crushed," said Lundquist-Faust. "So many tears over that veto."
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"We had worked on this bill for six years, this adequate shelter and restraint bill," Lundquist-Faust said. "It’s now called the Safe Outdoor Dog Act. Yes, we thought it was a done deal, we thought it was going to happen."
"I think the governor was shocked at the number of supporters behind this bill and I think he wasn’t expecting that sort of reaction," Lundquist-Faust said.
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Now, the governor has put the Safe Outdoor Dog Act on the agenda for the next special session.
"This would protect thousands and thousands of dogs that live their lives on chains without adequate shelter, without food, and without water," said Lundquist-Faust. "This year, we’ve found several dead or dying on the ends of chains in the summer heat and what this bill does is protect them from the elements."
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The proposed law would define adequate shelter.
"We really need to define adequate shelter, because right now adequate shelter could be anything. it could be a tree, it could be a car, it could be a car door," said Lundquist-Faust. "People are using that hiding behind the law to say their dog has adequate shelter."
"We have to make sure this passes this time and the best way to do that is our people in Houston in Texas call their legislator and let them know this is important to them," said Lundquist-Faust.
For more about Houston PetSet, click here.