Animal News

6 dogs at Dallas animal shelter test positive for distemper virus

Dallas Animal Services.

Photo courtesy of DAS

UPDATE 9/11/2018: There are now six dogs that have tested positive for distemper.

---------------

Dallas' animal shelter has discovered dogs in its care that have tested positive for canine distemper. According to a release from the city, Dallas Animal Services (DAS) confirmed that five dogs in the shelter tested positive for the contagious virus.

The shelter is taking precautions to limit exposure to other animals within the shelter to prevent its spread of the virus. Canine distemper is a viral disease that affects the respiratory and nervous systems of dogs; it is not contagious to humans or cats.

According to vet.osu.edu, the virus is spread most frequently via eye and nasal discharge, as well as droplets spread by coughing. However, all excretions — including vomit, feces, and urine — can contain the virus.

Direct or close contact is the most common mode, but droplets can travel up to four feet from a sneeze or a cough. The virus can also travel on objects it touches, including people.

In more positive news, the distemper virus survives only a few hours at room temperature, and is neutralized by sunlight, drying out, and disinfectants.

DAS' policy is to vaccinate all dogs against distemper upon arrival. But distemper vaccinations can have a delayed effectiveness.

All five dogs who tested positive were vaccinated prior to showing symptoms. And there have been no reports of any recently adopted animals that have tested positive. DAS remains open for adoptions and fostering at this time.

According to DAS spokesperson Whitney Hanson, the first dog to test positive was in and out of the shelter prior to showing neurological symptoms, leaving DAS unsure if it was an isolated case contracted outside the facility.

"Our team immediately implemented extra precautions to prevent any potential disease spread and hypervigilant monitoring of the population's health," Hanson says. "We submitted an additional six cases for testing last week, all of which were dogs that showed either neurological symptoms or prolonged, antibiotic resistant upper respiratory symptoms. Last night at 5:45 pm we received word that three of those additional dogs tested positive; today we were notified of two additional positive tests."

The first dog arrived from the 75243 zip code and was adopted by a resident in the 75052 before being returned to the shelter. The other four dogs who tested positive originated in 75220, 75232, 75211, and 75212.

"Our CARE Team is walking the neighborhoods where these dogs were located prior to arriving at our shelter to educate citizens about the importance of pet vaccinations and upcoming low-cost vaccination opportunities," Hanson says.

Dallas Animal Services is meanwhile taking precautions that include halting playgroups, behavioral evaluations, and double kenneling non-related dogs. They're also isolating dogs suspected of exposure or illness, and working with rescue partners to pull puppies and immunocompromised dogs out of the shelter.

A distemper fact sheet is being given to all adopters along with a recommendation to keep other pets current on vaccinations and keep them separated for at least 14 days.

"We would like to remind the public that if their pet is not fully vaccinated, they should prevent its exposure to other animals including wildlife, and work to get them vaccinated as soon as possible," Hanson says. "If they are having trouble affording vaccinations, they should attend low-cost vaccine clinics at DAS — we have one on September 15 from 10 am-noon — or through our partners at Spay Neuter Network, SPCA of Texas, or Texas Coalition for Animal Protection."

DAS is the second shelter in the area to confront a positive reaction for distemper; Garland endured a large outbreak in August.

Distemper outbreaks are an indicator that dogs in the community aren't being vaccinated.

pets politics

income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas, that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support their stay-at-home partner and their child, the report found. If both parents worked in the household, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in North Texas, however, is slightly more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $22,337 to raise a child in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report's author says families will look for ways to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family