Animal News

SPCA has advice for Dallas pet owners during upcoming freeze

Chained dog outdoors.

Franklin County Shelter

With sub-freezing temperatures predicted for North Texas in the next few days, the SPCA of Texas is recommending that pet owners protect their pets from harsh outdoor conditions.

Keep your pet indoors
Freezing temperatures can be dangerous and even deadly for companion animals, so it is best to keep your pet indoors as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is that if you are cold outside, your pet will be, too. Wet and cold weather can lead to hypothermia or pneumonia in animals. Be especially cautious with very young or very old animals, because they are more susceptible to suffering medical issues due to the cold.

Limit outside time to quick walks or bathroom breaks, and consider providing your pet with a pet sweater and booties to protect their paws from ice and/or snow. Avoid pavement and walk on grass when possible.

Outdoor living quarters
The SPCA of Texas never recommends leaving pets outside full time.

And it is against the law in the state of Texas to leave your pet outdoors in extreme temperatures without appropriate shelter.

However, if you must subject your pets to being outside for extended periods of time, weatherproof their living quarters.

That means:

The shelter must be covered, dry, insulated, filled with straw or other bedding (not blankets or towels as wet fabric can freeze) and should retain heat.
The shelter should be made up of three sides, a roof, and a floor.
The shelter should be elevated with the entrance pointed away from wind.

Food & drink
Monitor the time your pets spend outdoors and be sure they always have fresh water that is not frozen, in a non-metal bowl to drink.

Outdoor dogs need more calories in the winter to produce body heat, so increase the amount you feed your pets if they stay outdoors for long periods of time.

Things not to do
Some pet owners assume their pets can withstand the cold weather because they have fur. But this is not always the case. Indoor dogs shed their undercoats and should never be made to stay outside for extended periods of time.

Never shave your pets down to the skin in the winter; leave their coats long for more warmth.

When you bathe your pets, completely dry their coats before letting them go outdoors.

Things to watch out for
Be diligent regarding chemicals and pets in vehicles, as follows:

Wipe your pets' paws. Salt, antifreeze and other chemicals could hurt your pets if they ingest them while licking their paws, so be sure to wipe your pets' paws and legs clean with a wet cloth after an outing. Chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate paws and could potentially lead to frostbite, cuts or cracks.
Before starting your car, check to make sure there are no animals hiding in the exhaust pipe or under your tires. Cats and small animals may seek shelter near or under your car so be sure to look carefully and honk the horn before turning on the engine.
Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold, and the animal could freeze to death.

animals weather

Animal News

Why was pet store at Plaza Latina in Dallas still selling cats & dogs?

Plaza Latina

Overcrowded birds in cage at Plaza Latina

A fire that broke out at a shopping center in Dallas on Friday morning killed nearly 600 animals, most of which were small birds, authorities said.

The 579 animals in the pet shop at Plaza Latina in Northwest Dallas died from smoke inhalation, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said in a statement. The flames from the fire never reached the animals. Chickens, hamsters, two dogs, and two cats also died, Evans said.

The two-alarm fire took about two hours and as many as 45 firefighters to extinguish around 11 am, Evans said.

“While DFR personnel did search and attempt rescue, all animals in the shop unfortunately perished due to smoke inhalation,” Evans said.

The structure of the large, one-story shopping center was severely damaged, including a partially collapsed roof; the cause of the fire was not immediately determined and is under investigation, Evans said.

According to CBS, Dallas firefighters performed CPR on a tortoise and revived a near-death puppy; other survivors included miniature pigs, guinea pigs, and rabbits. About two dozen animals survived, all of which were dumped at Dallas Animal Services to pick up the broken pieces.

Why were there animals for sale?
In 2022, Dallas passed an ordinance that banned the sale of animals — but that pertains only to puppies or kittens from commercial breeders.

However, the sale of birds, fish, reptiles, and other small animals are still allowed, even though there is still great cruelty in such sales. But we eat fish and birds, so it's OK.

Plaza Latina was founded in 2010 and is not a unique concept, consisting of a large building housing a number of small kiosks, like an indoor flea market. The owner of the business is Al Bargas, while the property owner is listed as Harry Hines Denton Dr, which is owned by Taherali Sadruddin who also seems to go by the name Taherali Arman.

The pet store inside is called Miguel's Pet Shop, owned by Miguel Perez — although the Plaza Latina directory and social media pages are furtive about its presence. Perhaps that is because the business has been cited at least once and was still selling cats and dogs, despite the city ordinance?

The Plaza Latina Facebook page has only one photo from the pet store which shows a cage that is unsustainably overcrowded with birds — including one lying on the bottom of the cage.

The pet store is also the sole cause of the negative ratings that Plaza Latina has received on Yelp, such as:

"… The only thing I did not like and was so very sad to see was the pet shop in there called Miguel's pet shop. All the animals are crammed in the cages with hardly any food or clean water and they don't have much room to move around. You can just see the animals are not taken care of properly and it's just about making the money. Besides that the market and the food is very good. I would love to give more stars but just can't."

and oh, here's one:

"Miguel's Pet Shop was absolutely horrendous. Some of the dogs in there didn't have any food or water and the heat in the store was unbearable. One of the puppies clearly had something going on with its eyes (they look really irritated). Just thinking about going back in there gives me chills, the workers there didn't seem to care about the animals (clearly)."