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Brad Loper/Staff Photographer
Dallas residents Addison Higgins (left), 9, and her mother, Amy, with their dog, Wrigley, convinced Rep. Jason Villalba of Dallas of the need to ban carbon monoxide gas chambers at animal shelters.
AUSTIN — Shelter dogs wouldn’t die in gas chambers, more sharks could keep their fins, and pets would be protected from stalkers and domestic violence under proposals by Texas lawmakers aiming to protect creatures great and small.
Many of the bills, sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats, have been well received in the House and Senate, with no lawmakers registering their opposition and plenty of time to make their way to the governor’s desk.
But one that’s absent from the pack is legislation to place further limitations on puppy mills, an issue that received widespread attention in 2011.
Some protections for animals in the care of breeders were enacted, but animal advocates were disappointed in state regulators who responded with what they called the “bare minimum” required by the new law. Still, they said they had no further requests for lawmakers this time around.
“The Legislature did everything we wanted them to do last session,” said Skip Trimble, co-chairman of the legislative committee for the Texas Humane Legislation Network in Dallas. “Our job now is to educate the licensing agency that makes the rules.”
A proposal by Seguin Republican Rep. John Kuempel appeared to target breeders, generating fireworks among those who futilely fought the puppy mill bill two years ago.
But the bill was actually sought by large retail pet stores seeking to create uniform statewide specifications on animal cages and care conditions, Kuempel said, adding that it needs to be revised.
‘Work in progress’
The legislation is a “work in progress” that will probably end up looking “completely different,” and in fact “might not make it at all,” he said.
“We’re working with all the stakeholders to try and come up with a clean bill that everyone agrees with,” Kuempel said.
The bill as currently written offers no additional protections for consumers who buy sick animals and establishes a superficial regulatory agency with no powers, Trimble said, and would override regulatory powers that cities and counties have.
Some large cities across the nation, including Austin, have banned retail pet sales to encourage shelter adoptions in response to an overwhelming number of homeless pets. Such bans would be struck down under the legislation.
“Cities have different densities, and real urban cities with a lot of density have greater problems with stray, abandoned and mistreated animals, and it puts a strain on the health officers of these cities and costs taxpayers money,” said Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, which opposes the bill. “Many cities have decided that they have to regulate these to some degree.”
An official with the nation’s leading pet industry group, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, said Friday that patchwork rules established by cities and counties make it hard for pet stores to stay compliant.
The group hopes that Kuempel’s legislation will establish standards that can be applied statewide, and said the bill is based on language that has worked in other states.
“The inspiration from the standard of the pet industry is that everything starts with the pets themselves,” said Charlie Sewell, vice president of the council, adding that the group does not support animal mills. “There are always some people that say there should be stricter standards. There are people that say there should be lesser standards. We think you have to try to strike the right balance.”
The group is opposing legislation across the nation that would establish violator registries, create pet warranties for consumers, and restrict breeders — largely because, Sewell said, pet stores already conform to strict standards of pet care and quality in the name of taking care of business and protecting the pets.
Gas chambers
One bill that appears to be moving quickly is a ban on carbon monoxide gas chambers at animal shelters. National studies have shown they cause animals to suffer, as not all die from the poison.
The Senate passed the ban with no opposition, and a House committee approved it unanimously as well. It awaits scheduling for a vote by the full House.
Dallas Republican Rep. Jason Villalba, one of the co-sponsors, said that while he comes from “a long line of animal lovers,” his decision to sign on to the bill came from a pint-sized lobbyist who won him over on a visit to Austin.
Addison Higgins, 9, of Dallas, grew up with her dog, Jake. But when Jake was 13, he got sick and had to be euthanized.
Addison understood that he was given a shot that “helped him not to be scared” during the process, said her mother, Amy Higgins.
So when Addison and her mom met with Villalba, she told him about how it’s the only humane option for euthanizing homeless pets, too.
“I don’t think it’s fair, because dogs and cats get really scared and all,” Addison said. “They get scared because they’re in tight spaces, and many animals get put in at the same time. There’s two ways you can do it. There’s a shot and then there’s the gassing, but we don’t want to do the gassing anymore.”
Said Villalba, noting he has two daughters: “She melted my heart.”
Addison’s mom was law school roommates with Trimble’s co-chair, Shelby Bobosky, and learned from her about the effort to ban the chambers.
Her daughter thought the legislation was a good idea, so instead of simply calling her lawmaker’s office, the pair met with him in person.
“It was a wonderful experience for Addison,” she said. “It was really important to me to introduce her to the political process early. She loves animals, and it’s something that she saw she could do something about.
“We’re glad he listened, glad he took us seriously, and hopefully it can get done.”
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