Suffering, abuse, and neglect of domesticated animals in Texas and other southern U.S states are amongst the worst in the world. To say Texas is in a state of crisis regarding its animal welfare and treatment of dogs is an understatement. Millions of dog’s yearly are suffering all across the state, and hundreds of thousands of innocent dogs are being euthanized by public shelters for the crime of simply not having a home. Inadequately trained Animal control officers are shooting innocent and non-aggressive dogs in public places near children and unfathomable acts of torture are not being investigated or acted upon. The very few incidences of animal cruelty which have been prosecuted are because of the awareness raised by animal advocates and a concerned media over a prolonged period of time.
 
 Those in power in Texas are not only guilty of neglecting their animals, but also their people. It's a well-known fact that by not acting swiftly and effectively on animal cruelty, you're putting your citizens at risk due to the direct correlation between animal and human abuse. Those committing abuse towards animals are often abusing people as well. These bad behaviours are causing great strain both emotionally and financially on the animal loving public and organizations that rescue these animals daily with no sign of relief in sight.
 
 The list of issues across the state of Texas regarding these matters is manifold and manifest. For some perspective, the city of Houston alone has ten times more stray dogs than the capital city of Kabul in Afghanistan, which is a third world war torn country. 
 
 Acts of torture on animals in Texas which in other countries would create a proper investigation due to the threat the perpetrators pose to society are ignored. As a nation which projects itself as a world leader and the greatest nation of all, this is unacceptable. Instead, Texas (despite the shiny, freedom loving exterior) comes off as a 3rd world war torn country. Texas local and state government have the ability to rectify these issues but why won't they?

 We NEED to work together as one and say enough is enough, by improving the lives of dogs and animals we will not only be making the world a safer place for them but in turn also for people. The way in which a country or person treats its animals is a direct reflection of the way it treats its people, and the State of Texas is a true reflection of this.  Not only should the people committing animal abuse be held accountable, but so should the government. The lack of legislation/laws in place, along with enforcement of current laws. The State of Texas does have decent laws on the books, but without enforcement, they are just glorified pieces of paper. 
 
 No single law is going to change the situation in Texas for the better. A wide variety of comprehensive laws that fill in all the loopholes are needed to be put into place at once if we are truly to make an impact and they MUST be enforced. Individuals need to be held accountable for their actions. If the right laws are put into place then we are on our way to seeing true change in Texas. 
 
 Some of the major issues in Texas which need to be addressed are as follows:

    - Mandatory microchipping of all dogs (aid in relocation off dogs and prosecution for neglected & abused animals)

- Mandatory Spay and Neutering for all dogs unless registered and licensed as a legal breeder. (Aid in the stray dog situation)
 
- All breeders MUST be licensed, registered, inspected and abide by an operation mandate for healthy and responsible breeding. All dogs must be vaccinated and microchipped before sale with breeder as secondary point of contact on chip. (aid in the stray dog situation, over breeding, locating/tracking of dogs and adequate/healthy living conditions for puppies and their mom to avoid stress and torment)
 
- NO tethering of any form, all dogs must either reside in the property, an enclosed garden or an adequate kennel and run for the size of the dog. Clean water, food and cover from the elements must also be provided. (not only will this aid in the physical distress but also mental distress of dogs)

- Ban the complete use of firearms for the killing of dogs by animal control officers, there is no requirement for any animal control officer to be shooting dogs under any circumstances. If you can shoot it with a bullet, you can use a tranquiliser dart. (This will protect members of the public from witnessing the execution of dogs, protect citizens from potential ricochets and prevent the killing of non-aggressive dogs allowing them time for an adequate behavioural assessment)
 
- Appropriate and adequate training for animal control officers in the wellbeing and safety of dogs and change their role solely to the protection of animals. ( Matters of public safety should be left to the police and by removing public safety from the role of animal control officers it will allow adequate assessments and save the lives of many innocent dogs).

- Remove the 24hr grace period people are afforded by animal control and allow instant removal in any case which isn’t in accordance with the law. (will allow the safe removal of animals in distress and remove any further discomfort).
 
- Ban the euthanasia of dogs by public shelters for grounds of aggression unless assessed by a behavioural expert and signed off by a judge as a dangerous dog on the grounds of the behavioural expert’s report and assessment. (daily shelters across the state of Texas shelters are demonstrating their complete lack of knowledge and understanding regarding dog behaviour and killing innocent dogs).
 
- All public shelters are to employ an outside qualified behavioural expert to come in and assess dogs deemed to be aggressive and unable to be rehabilitated. (will prevent the killing of hundreds of thousands of dogs).
 
- Require public shelters to carry out home and background checks on all potential adoptees so the new homes meet a stand of living and safety for the animals and apply a substantial adoption fee. (Currently in many shelters anyone can take a dog with a simple ID card, dogs are getting taken from shelters and used in dog fighting, going to irresponsible homes and are becoming the subjects of abuse and torture. Dogs are also getting adopted out for free or for an adoption fee of $5).
 
- Allow citizens the legal right to remove dogs from positions of pain, distress or are not in accordance with the law where safe to do so and take the dog to animal control with photographic evidence so criminal proceedings can proceed. (this will allow people to protect dogs and remove the emotional strain associated with people not been able to act with compassion and prevent further suffering of an innocent being).
 
- Instant arrest and detention of any violent action taken towards a dog or any other animal while a preliminary investigation undertaken. (This will more often unveil other crimes such as acts of violence and abuse towards people and allow for adequate investigations to take place and protect both animals and people from further abuse along with the conviction of other crimes)
 
- Mandatory animal welfare awareness in schools. (The education of children is vital to phasing out animal abuse)

EVERY law in place must be respected, taken seriously and enforced swiftly and effectively. (This WILL prevent the abuse, suffering and killing of people along with the further abuse of animals)
 
- Provide adequate training and funding to all police officers in animal welfare and animal laws. (Allowing an appropriate understanding by officers to better judge situations)
 
- Ensure the laws are strict, concise and have no grey areas or loopholes so the police can act upon them. (Law enforcement officials have pointed out the many flaws within current laws that make them near on impossible for the police to enforce them)

 God calls upon us to be good stewards of his creation, and with the state of Texas being primarily Christian, their behavior towards animals is not a good look in the eyes of the Almighty. The suggestions above will put Texas on the right path for a safer place for both domestic animals and their people, but this all NEEDS to be done together. With the implementation of common sense and humane laws, along with enforcement, we will see a dramatic improvement in the quality of life for the animals in Texas. In turn, we see a dramatic shift in the animal welfare of Texas and the welfare/safety of its people.

 To Governer Abbott, and the elected officials in the state of Texas:
 You are not micromanaging your citizens by putting laws in place that protect your animals and people, by not doing so you are neglecting them and subjecting them to abuse. As a nation of laws, everyone should be held accountable for their bad behavior even when it's towards animals.
 
Awareness is the first step towards change so please sign our petition in hope  to bring an everlasting change for animals in the state of Texas.