In Texas, animal cruelty is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine. This seems like a punishment that fits the crime. With that in mind, Houston cleaned up their city this past weekend.
Let's unpack this milestone day for the Houston community. A man with more than 230 animals was arrested along with 12 other individuals as part of an animal cruelty roundup. 13 total were arrested on animal cruelty charges in Harris County, clearing 25 warrants.
Operation "Don't Be Cruel" was carried out by the Precinct One Constable's Office animal cruelty unit and the Houston SPCA. In the press conference, they encourage the community to be the voices of animals. Constable Alan Rosen was on point during the press conference and walked media through the highlights.
The cases highlighted are almost unbelievable.
- More than 230 animals were living in horrible conditions including no water. A man was arrested for animal cruelty charges in this case. These animals were already seized in 2018. Most of the animals were birds, turtles, mice, rabbits and bearded dragons.
- A woman was arrested for animal cruelty as this woman was living with a dog that was so emaciated they're not even sure this animal can be nursed back to health.
- Another man was charged with animal cruelty for slamming a dog so hard on the ground the dog had fractured legs.
Who are these people? They hope everyday citizens will continue to report animal cruelty situations.
There is a hotline you can call if you see any cases. The SPCA has a cruelty hotline at 713-869-7722, and the Pct. 1 tip line is 832-927-1659. Rosen has the best line that everyone should share,
"Animals don't have a voice, so you have to be one for them."
It was clearly a successful operation.
More than 230 animals were in deplorable conditions and this man is now behind bars. These 13 animal abusers will certainly pay for their crimes.
What other cases are you aware of? Have you reported them? Please leave a comment below.
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