City Council approves mandate making it illegal to leave pets in sun


San Antonio, Texas is the type of southwestern city that can be incredibly dangerous for pets to exist in during the summer months. As temperatures rise, pet owners tend to become somewhat lackadaisical when it comes to keeping their animals safe and cool. If animals are left outdoors for an extended period of time, they could end up succumbing to the triple digit temperatures.

Molly is one such dog and while her pictures are up on Facebook, the damage that she experienced because of the sun is tough to look at. She was left outside for so long that the sun eventually burned all of her fur off. These sorts of burns are all too common for animals who are left outside and these are the types of occurrences that San Antonio is looking to eliminate once and for all.

The San Antonio City Council has passed a law that forbids pet owners from engaging in the sort of unsafe practices that lead to burns like the one Molly experienced. Pet owners who are found to have broken this new law will now face criminal charges. Animals must be provided with shade at all times if they are going to be left outside. Failure to abide by this ordinance will lead to penalties.

Violators could be fined up to $2,000 for these actions. Animal Care Services has been receiving thousands of calls about these matters and this law aims to put a massive dent in that number. The animal must have a reprieve from the sun or their owners are going to pay the consequences. A man made patio, overhanging tree or pop up tent qualify under the new regulations.

We are happy to report that Molly has received the care that she needs and that she has since made a full recovery. Now that she has been adopted by a new family that truly cares for her, she will no longer have to suffer through hot summer days without any access to shelter. Kudos to the city of San Antonio for finally putting a stop to this unsafe practice.

Pets deserve the proper level of protection under the law and lawmakers are finally using their platform to pass ordinances that are designed to eliminate the issues that they experience. Please pass this story along so that your city can follow suit and offer animals the protection that they need.


log in

Become a part of our community!

reset password

Back to
log in