‘Alarming increase’ in abused, abandoned pets seen by Humane Society of North Texas
An injured white Lab dumped over a gate. A 3-month-old Yorkie left in a kennel in triple-digit heat. A dog overheated and so matted it had to be shaved completely. At least two neglected pets died from heat stroke.
Those are just some of the situations faced by the staff at the Humane Society of North Texas in recent days. They’ve called out an “alarming increase” in the number of neglected and abandoned dogs and cats the shelter has seen in the past two weeks. The animal cruelty cases have created concerns with the leaders of the organization, who are asking the community to help spread the word about the abuses they’ve seen and what can be done.
On Wednesday, the Humane Society of North Texas released video of the white Lab who had been dumped over the gate. It shows the injured dog hobbling over to an area slightly shaded by bushes, seeking relief from the heat. Staff members at the shelter were able to get the dog inside and help it cool down, but in the case of the Yorkie puppy, efforts to save its life were unsuccessful.
The white Lab, dubbed Arthur by the shelter, required medical attention costing around $7,000. His injuries were so bad, the Humane Society of North Texas had to take him to a specialized animal hospital in Dallas because the humane society’s in-house clinic wasn’t equipped to help Arthur.
With the Yorkie, staff at the shelter had directed the dog’s owner to the Humane Society’s clinic, less than a block away. But the owner did not take the puppy to the clinic, and shelter staff found it abandoned in a kennel on the curb, bleeding and dying from the heat.
Ailene, a brown lab, needed intravenous fluids and ice treatment to lower her body temperature due to a severe heat stroke, shelter officials said.
Then, around 4:45 a.m. Thursday, video showed a woman dumping a box of newborn kittens at the society’s Fort Worth location. Temperatures were around 100 degrees at the time.
“This is intentional,” spokesperson Cassie Davidson said in an email. “This doesn’t appear to be someone in desperate need of help reaching out for our services.”
The Humane Society of North Texas offers free resources for pet owners and operates a shelter that does not euthanize due to population size.
“Despite a 97% live release rate, we rely on the community to spread awareness of our free programs at HSNT,” Davidson said in an email. “Together, we can halt this distressing trend and ensure the safety and care of our furry friends.”