Huts for Mutts Shines Light on Dogs Chained Up Their Whole Lives

For over a month, contractor and animal lover Aliesha Medley has built free dog houses for assholes who keep their dogs chained up for most of their lives. We commend her, and at the same time, we hope that city officials can do something to enforce the state tethering law.

So far, Medley's non-profit Huts for Mutts has distributed about 30 no-frills plywood dog houses, which cost about $40 to build, and which are insulated with hay, according to KPRC. The non-profit recently got great exposure when a reporter from the station joined Medley as she gave a house to a man named Robert Brewster, who kept his pit bull, Big Head, tied to a tree. Brewester told KPRC that the dog "tears up the house" if he's left alone.

The reporter said of Brewster, "He's not trying to be malicious, he just doesn't have the means to provide proper shelter."

Right.

Texas state law states that "an owner may not leave a dog outside and unattended by use of a restraint that unreasonably limits the dog's movement" between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (The restraint has to be either at least ten feet or "five times the length of the dog.&quot The law also states that a dog can't be kept on a short line in extreme temperatures.

Medley told the Houston Press that she and her volunteers walk a fine line when they encounter instances of dogs who are unreasonably restrained. They want to gain an owner's trust, not come across as authoritarian busy-bodies.

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/huts-for-mutts-shines-light-on-dogs-chained-up-their-whole-lives-8031830