HOUSTON, Texas – An investigation is underway as Houston-area law enforcement agencies join officials from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to look into alarming numbers, reflecting how some residents are treating pets.
According to a press release from the SPCA, 4,733 animals in our area have been reported abandoned since the beginning of 2021 alone.
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The animals noted were said to have been left in homes, apartments, hotels and even neighbor’s backyards.
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With about a month and a half remaining in 2021, authorities said they are sounding the alarm in hopes that owners will start taking proper care of their animals.
This week alone, Harris County Precinct 1 constable’s office and SPCA officials discovered a miniature schnauzer who they believe starved to death inside a kennel after being abandoned in an apartment for several weeks.
When authorities found the pup on Tuesday, her body was “extremely thin.” Investigators said this case was one of the worst scenes animal cruelty investigators have seen in recent memory.
“We attribute the sharp rise in these heinous crimes this year to the dramatic shift in pet owner’s circumstances, and they don’t seek other options,” said the SPCA’s Chief of Animal Cruelty Adam Reynolds. “There is needless suffering, and in some cases, death if an animal is left to fend for themselves inside a crate or chained.”
If you are in need of resources for your pet or know of any animal cruelty cases in Harris County and other surrounding areas, call the Houston SPCA at 713-869-SPCA or visit www.houstonspca.org.
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