Shooting a Dog
or Cat Can Lead to a Felony Offense
Any person who shoots a non-livestock
animal, which includes any stray or feral cat or dog, and a wild living creature
previously captured, can be charged with a felony offense.
Penal Code 42.092 of the State of Texas law states that a person must have
the owner’s consent to kill the animal (exceptions to prosecution are provided in
Section 42.092(e)(1)). It is clear
that a “stray” dog or cat either has no owner or that the person who shoots the
animal did not get the owner’s consent. So
what do we as citizens, law enforcement, or a community as a whole do without a
place to take a “stray”? The answer
lies with your proactive action—as a citizen, become directly involved—let
your elected representative know you want positive change in how our county and
your community deals with (or in some cases won’t deal with) animal control. Doing nothing is simply inviting undesirable
consequences because of the liabilities inherent in pet overpopulation—health, economics,
legal, and safety (HELS). There is
a pressing and undeniable need for animal control which would include an operational
animal shelter serving all of Hill County. Without
an animal shelter, there is absolutely no support for over 70% of Hill County citizens
to take “strays”. Of the fourteen cities
with elected governments in Hill County, only one has a dedicated impoundment facility
(Hillsboro). With almost the entire
county lacking basic animal control protection and limited lawful means to handle
“strays”, many Hill County residents are left out in the cold to watch helplessly
as “strays” are simply allowed to roam and breed at will, potentially endangering
livestock, property, and human lives.
The exponential breeding rate of dogs
and cats perfectly illustrates why proactive measures are needed in the form of
Education, Legislation, and Sterilization programs:
One female and one male
dog, in seven (7) generations, can
produce 4,372 offspring. Two uncontrolled breeding
cats can produce 420,715 cats
in seven (7) generations. This total
for cats balloons to 10 million cats after 10
years.
Simply reacting after the fact to pet
overpopulation is similar to hiding our heads in the sand.
Pet overpopulation can be easily corrected with the positive intervention
of us, as citizens, and our elected representatives, serving the people.
Only a small segment of irresponsible pet owners are at the root
of pet overpopulation. If education
cannot alone correct these irresponsible attitudes towards pet ownership responsibility,
then the enforcement of existing animal control laws (there are some nine State
of Texas laws) can adjust their attitudes through the penalty of fines or even imprisonment.
Pet overpopulation is a serious liability
to live with and it can be controlled. The
majority of animal control laws were written specifically with the safety of our
families in mind.
If you would like to help with Paw Pals’ endeavors to correct pet overpopulation
in our great county, call (254) 580-0679; email
hcpawpals@yahoo.com; or visit our website
hcpawpals.org for more information.
A public meeting (always on the first Thursday)
for Paw Pals has been scheduled at 6:30pm on
Thursday, February 7th at Hill College Cafeteria in Hillsboro.
Invited guest speakers are: Michelle Carlson, Attorney at Law, who
will speak on the Legal Liabilities of Pet Overpopulation, Mr. Tom Hemrick, Candidate
for Hill County Sheriff, and Mr. Danny Bodeker, Candidate for County Commissioner
Precinct #1 who will speak about their respective candidacies.