Texas governor vetoes bill protecting dogs from abuse [View all]
Source: Guardian
Greg Abbott’s decision surprises lawmakers after bill passed legislature with bipartisan support
Sarah Betancourt
@sweetadelinevt
Tue 22 Jun 2021 16.59 EDT
The governor of Texas has pulled a surprise move, vetoing a bipartisan bill that would have provided greater protections for dogs against human abuse.
The Republican governor, Greg Abbott, vetoed a bill on Friday that would have made unlawful restraint of a dog a criminal offense, sending animal rights activists and legislators on both sides of the aisle into a fray and spurring the hashtag #AbbottHatesDogs.
State senate bill 474, dubbed the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act, aimed to ban the use of heavy chains to keep dogs tethered. The bill had bipartisan support in the legislature, passing the house 83-32 and the senate 28-3.
In his veto, Abbott said state statutes already existed to protect dogs from animal cruelty, and the penalties proposed in the bill of $500 to $2,000, and jail time of up to 180 days, were excessive. The bill said that dog owners could have dogs outside but could not restrain them with short lines and chains or anything that could cause injury and pain to the dog.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/22/texas-governor-dogs-bill-veto
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