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...
Some of the humane animal shelter regulations which THLN helped establish include: Humane regulations for non-quarantine animal shelters. Prior to 1989, most shelters across the state had no regulations addressing feeding, cleaning, veterinary care, or separation of animals during impoundment as to species, size, or whether an animal ...
THLN worked closely with the Texas Animal Control Association and the Humane Society of the United States in passing HB 1043 to strengthen the cockfighting laws in Texas. In addition to cockfighting itself, HB 1043 outlaws promoting a cockfight; allowing one's property to be used for a cockfight; training fighting birds; and attending...
THLN successfully opposed the proposed regulation of "dangerous" pets (SB 349, 2007). The subject bill was far too broad and gave no criteria for what is or is not a dangerous pet. The "dangerous" designation would have been left to the discretion of the county commissioners' court and could have lead to abuses of power and to breed ...
THLN was instrumental in getting dog fighting outlawed in the state as well as later strengthening the statute to increase penalties for various offenses.
Since 1949, Texas law has prohibited the sale, possession and transportation of horse meat for human consumption, yet for decades this law was ignored as two foreign-owned plants slaughtered thousands of Texas horses annually for horse meat consumption overseas. The plants operated in Fort Worth (Beltex) and Kaufman (Dallas Crown). A...
Horse tripping is the horrific practice of roping the front or hind legs of a full-on galloping horse and causing it to trip and come crashing to the ground, all for the purposes of entertainment or sport (www.ahdf.org). THLN successfully advocated for the addition of an amendment to the state Animal Cruelty Statute which effectively ...
