Hurricane News

Dallas-area rescue groups mobilize to help animals orphaned in hurricane

Houston, hurricane harvey, animal rescue

Many animals have been displaced by Hurricane Harvey.

While Dallas and Fort Worth prepare for the arrival of people evacuees from Hurricane Harvey, rescue groups are gearing up to handle displaced animals, as well.

The primary players in Dallas dealing with evacuees' pets are Dallas Animal Services (DAS) and the SPCA. The two organizations have set up a temporary animal shelter near the Mega Center at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, so that evacuees are close by and can visit their pets.

RedRover, a national nonprofit animal welfare organization based in California, is helping provide daily care; the SPCA contacted RedRover to ask that it provide support during the emergency.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Animal Rescue Team has arrived in Texas City, an area devastated by flooding. It's accepting donations at humanesociety.org/harvey or by texting LOVE to 20222, to donate $10 to its Disaster Relief Fund. It has a fact sheet on ways people can help.

Operation Kindness' Pet Food Pantry is collecting donations of pet food and kitty litter which they will provide to evacuees. Current needs include dry and canned dog and cat food, puppy and kitten food, puppy and kitten formula, ID Wet, KD Wet, and cat litter. Donations can be dropped off at Operation Kindness, at 3201 Earhart Dr. in Carrollton.

In advance of the storm, the SPCA also took in 123 un-owned cats from The Cattery Cat Shelter in Corpus Christi on August 25. It accepts monetary donations at www.spca.org/give or supplies though Amazon.com. You can also become a foster by signing up at www.spca.org/foster.

Independent groups such as Flower Mound rescue group Humane Tomorrow have begun to mobilize by taking in animals and training fosters.

Humane Tomorrow has already taken in 17 dogs and 12 cats from one of the shelters hosting evacuated animals, and is seeking new foster homes to make space for future evacuees.

"In these situations, the animals in the immediate path of the storm aren't the only ones displaced," says Humane Tomorrow executive director Stacy Smith. "Shelters that take in evacuated animals can quickly run out of room, overburdening the staff and leaving animals already in their care with less time to find homes. Those are animals we can help immediately by moving them into foster homes."

Humane Tomorrow will host a new foster home orientation on September 2 at Innovate Flower Mound, 650 Parker Square Rd., from 2-4 pm. To join its program, email foster@humanetomorrow.org or call 972-691-7387. It's also accepting monetary donations at humanetomorrow.org.

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Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

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