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Dear Editor:
Most of us were raised to be kind to all living creatures. We were taught to respect life.
We were taught to have compassion. Most of us…...most of us.
In some cases, when a person has been known to be cruel to an animal, that same person is known to be the type who would also display a lack of compassion for people.
Rarely a day goes by that I don’t hear of some animal that has been ‘dumped’ somewhere. Not only is this heartless, but it says a lot about the person/ persons who committed the crime. YES! It is a crime in the great state of Texas to illegally dump an animal.
Texas State Penal Code 42.092, section (a) says: “Abandon” includes abandoning an animal in the person’s custody without making reasonable arrangements for assumption of custody by another person and 7) “Necessary food, water, care, or “shelter” includes food, water, care, or shelter provided to the extent required to maintain the animal in a state of good health.
Abandon also includes dropping an animal on the side of the road. Most offenders know it is wrong and illegal, and, as most cowards, don’t want their crime to be witnessed. So they usually remove the dog’s collar or tags and dump the dog on a rural road. When an animal is dumped, it is frightened and confused. Some dogs, who would ordinarily be very gentle, passive dogs, can become very defensive when facing a strange situation or strange person. When they become hungry or thirsty, they wonder into unwelcome yards or pastures and have been known to kill animals in an attempt to fight starvation. So, offenders are not only callous law-breakers, they are also throwing their responsibilities to someone else.
There are shelters and organizations who will take an unwanted animal. There is no acceptable reason for any animal to be abandoned in such a manner.
Friends, neighbors, travelers…. keep an eye out for such activity. Should you see this occur, simply write down the license number and/or description of the vehicle. Report it to the authorities. They will investigate and hopefully charge the offender with a crime! And possible save the life of an unfortunate dog.
No animal deserves such treatment. Please be aware of things around you and notify Police, Sherriff or anyone who would be willing to help!
Brenda G. Buehler Columbus Resident
