Animals

Under the new laws, which will go into effect on Sept. 1, counties across Texas will have more power to stop the sale of dogs and cats in outdoor spaces.

The animal shelter has been running over capacity since May, officials said. Other rescue organizations are feeling the pinch, too.

The city announced the shelter closures March 27, citing its need to contain and mitigate the spread of the highly contagious, incurable and airborne canine distemper virus. Since then, the shelters have been on lockdown, not allowing the intake or release of any dogs.

Dallas Animal Services is over capacity. So it’s hosting a free “Late Night Doggie Date Night” to give people a chance to adopt or foster pets just in time for Valentine’s Day. Pets can be seen between 1 and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Dallas Animal Services, 1818 North Westmoreland Road.

The Colony Police Department and Animals Services responded to dozens of welfare tips from concerned community members who believed the animals were subjected to neglect and cruelty. They uncovered 88 animals and the remains of 22 more.

About 150 animals will be flown to Fort Worth on Sunday to join their foster families here. They're being transferred to make room for pets displaced by wildfires.

The city audit, which looked at operations at the shelter from 2023 and 2024, offered 34 recommendations for improvement, many of which Sassenus and staffers have been addressing for several months.

An adoption event held last month helped get hundreds of Dallas Animal Services animals find homes.

The decision to drop the lawsuit comes weeks after the mall aquarium chain, which had a location in North Texas, filed for bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy records show SeaQuest owes millions in unsecured claims. The Fort Worth location was closed this year.

P.A.W.S. for Patriots is an animal shelter program for veterans launched by the city after hiring its first veterans affairs officer in May.

A Humane Society of the United States investigation found that animals at SeaQuest Fort Worth were abused and neglected, lived among pest infestations and were placed into dangerous situations that resulted in injuries to animals and customers.