In 2021, THLN helped pass HB 604, which requires animal control agencies and animal welfare organizations to scan the pets they handle for microchips. If the animal is chipped, the registered owner is contacted so they can reclaim their pet as soon as possible. The purpose of the law is to keep families together, save taxpayers money a...
A New Law with a Fatal Flaw Governor Rick Perry signed HB 1411, the “Unlawful Restraint of Dog” bill, requiring dog owners to restrain dogs with collars “constructed of nylon, leather, or similar material, specifically designed to be used for a dog” and tethers long enough to allow the dog to move about. The law didn’t affect ...
GET YOUR LICENSE PLATE Thanks largely to THLN, this law (HB 3250, passed 1997) created a new "animal-friendly" fund through the sale of special motor vehicle license plates. Proceeds from the fund provide free and low-cost dog & cat spay/neutering to programs across the state. The $3M allocated to the fund to date has resulted in t...
We have good news to share as we head into the 2021 Texas Legislative Session. While the Session convened just yesterday, we have spent the interim period since the last Session working to ensure that the Texas Sunset Commission did not vote to abolish the Texas Licensed Breeders Program. As the Sunset review process began, THLN hope...
Animal cruelty is not just about animals. The heinous abuse of companion animals occurs in family violence situations, criminal enterprises, and in local neighborhoods. The link between animal abuse and human violence is real, and our society suffers when animals suffer.
Laws and local ordinances are useless unless they are enforceable. Previously, municipal enforcement of violations of animal care and treatment ordinances usually required cities to follow the same procedures as those for violations of criminal laws.
In 2011, THLN was instrumental in the passage of HB 963, which allows government authorities to seize cruelly treated animals and remove them from abusive situations. A survey among four leading animal rescue organizations in Texas found that to date more than 20,000 animals were removed from inhumane conditions where they were sufferi...
When performed properly, euthanasia by injection of sodium pentobarbital is the safest, most humane method, and the least stressful to the animal. Historically, the lack of access to these drugs has been an issue for shelters. In 2013, the Texas Humane Legislation Network passed a bill that prohibits the use of carbon monoxide gas as ...
Law enforcement officers routinely encounter dogs in the line of duty. In fact, roughly one in three calls involves an interaction with a dog. The vast majority of law enforcement officers have no training on canine encounters and this is the primary reason so many dogs are killed unnecessarily by law enforcement officers. According to...
Some of the amendments to the State Animal Cruelty Statute that THLN has been involved with include: A bill that increased the penalty for a third animal cruelty offense from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony (SB 143, passed 1997). A bill that increased the penalty for aggravated acts of animal cruelty from a Class A mi...
