Amazing Look at Texas Laws Protecting Vulnerable Animals

Yesterday I wrote a story about a teenage girl that killed her rivals prized show goat. You can read about that here. It seems that a high number of articles are written about cases of animal cruelty, but thankfully there are laws in place to protect and punish their abusers. 

What is Animal Cruelty in Texas: 

In Texas, animal cruelty under the Texas Penal Code, Chapter 42, Sections 42.09 and 42.092 includes but is not limited to the abandonment of an animal without planning for another person to take custody, transportation or confinement an animal in a cruel manner (looking at you Mit Romney), the killing, seriously injuring, or poisoning an animal (goat girl), causing an animal to fight another animal (Michael Vick), tripping a horse,  or seriously overworking an animal. 

Penalties for Animal Cruelty in Texas: 

On September1st, 2001, A Texas law commonly known as “Loco's Law,” went into effect making animal cruelty a felony and punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to two years in jail. The law was named after a puppy that had his eyes gouged out. The tragic abuse Loco endured resulted in animal lovers all over the state of Texas encouraging lawmakers to create harsher animal abuse laws. Loco went on to live a happy life until he passed away on October 10th, 2013, after his abuse and rehabilitation. 

Specific Cases Under Texas Law: 

Back in October a woman was convicted of animal cruelty for excessive use of a cattle prod on her horse. You can read about that story here. Another woman, a high school teacher was arrested for animal abuse for leading her students through the stapling of a cat's incision. There is more to that story here.  

Why These Laws Matter: 

The definition of the ethical treatment of animals varies from person to person. Simply owning an animal and keeping it as a domesticated pet is considered cruel by the members of PETA. Meanwhile, there are a lot of people that view animals as just a source of food or as tools that they work with on their farms. Regardless of how extreme you go in either direction it is pretty easy to say that no matter what the animals should be treated with respect whether they are being left alone in the wild, being raised as a source of food, or if they sleep next to you on the bed every night. Thankfully, the state of Texas has laws and protections in place that aim to keep the animals safe while they are alive, and to punish anyone that may choose to cause them harm.