Some day we will know better. Humans will no longer chain dogs up in backyards without shade, shelter, or water. Dogs will no longer die, gasping for breath, as they overheat to death. Sadly, that day has not come. A dog in Houston has just faced this horrible, cruel, and utterly preventable death.
Neighbor Notices the Dog Panting and in Distress
The Houston SPCA received a call from a concerned neighbor. The caller sent in a video of a dog chained to a heavy weight outside in the brutal Houston summer heat. The video depicted a dog who was clearly in distress. The dog was gasping for breath, chained in the open sun with no food, water, or shelter from the heat.
Houston Summers Are Similar to Saunas
If you have never been to Houston in the summer, allow me to paint a picture for you. I was born there and have spent at least 25 entire summers of my life in and around Houston. It is hot. Temperatures soar well past 100 degrees and the sun is relentless. On top of that, it is humid. Really humid. Like, rivaling the rainforest, humid. Your body is slick with sweat nearly instantaneously when you step outside.
Houston in the summer feels exactly like a sauna. The air is thick and hot. You roll your windows down and it feels like you are aiming a giant hairdryer in your face. People and pets die, in numbers, every year inside their homes for lack of air conditioning. Being left outside in Houston in the summer, with no shelter from the sun and no water is a death sentence. Dogs simply cannot pant hard enough to keep up. This poor pup is a testament to that fact.
Animal Abuse Officers Called to the Scene
The Houston SPCA reported the video and call to the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office, who dispatched animal cruelty officers to the scene. They said, “There appeared to be no shade, water or food available to the dog.”
Authorities also reported that when they arrived, the dog’s internal temperature was 106.5 degrees. The pet’s external body temperature showed 122.9 degrees. Obviously, a living being cannot survive when their body temperature gets this high.
Report Abuse of This And Any Nature to Police!
The animal cruelty division is conducting an investigation. Once it is complete, the case will be turned over to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. If you see signs of animal cruelty in Houston, the constable’s office urges you to report it to their Animal Cruelty Hotline at 832-927-1659.
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