Ah yes, Winter has arrived in Texas, it will be here for a week and then disappear. Even though the temperature has dropped, things heat up quickly when it comes to the realization that the ground will freeze and OH MY GOD IT’S LEGAL TO HOUSE ANIMALS OUTSIDE IN TEXAS. As is the norm, or used to be when I actually tended to this project regularly many years ago (yay welcome back dogcatcher!) I actually have something to say about the atrocities that surface when the weather turns inclement. Am I referring to the dog owners who leave their chihuahuas out on balconies shivering? Or maybe the old school owners who have had a dog for 15 years that has never stepped foot inside a structure and won’t for the foreseeable future? Surprisingly no. The biggest thorn in our side, the barrier to education and enforcement, the sight that makes us sigh with discontent when we pull up on a priority 2 weather call about a dog out in the cold; the “social media animal advocate”. This one I’ve named Lady Spielberg.

Many of our animal warriors do good work on the streets, alerting us to animals in need, gathering up strays and street dogs with health issues to take into their own organization, and assisting unfortunate owners in bad situations with education and outreach to enhance the lives of their animals and them in the process. The best of them do not advertise until the rescue act has been completed; they request resources or financial support for a decision they have already made to pull a dog from a shelter, assist an owner with an unexpected expense, or set up traps and transport for a street dog with no other options.

The dark side of animal advocacy is strong and getting stronger. They harass, belittle, threaten and antagonize owners and steal animals. They spew hatred and discontent, threaten law enforcement response when no law is being broken, threaten animal services officers, embarrass on social media with videos, pictures, sharing names and addresses of those they have deemed “unworthy of animal ownership” based solely on their personal opinions. They assume superiority over us shouting that they love animals too much to do what we do, because they can’t absorb that we love animals too much NOT to do what we do. They are incapable of distinguishing between morality and legality. This is not animal advocacy; this is misdirected hostility, runaway emotion, and most notably desperate grandiosity, immensely inflated by random strangers from the far corners of the earth typing “oh thank you for saving that poor baby you are amazing” without actually knowing any specifics nor the laws that apply to the animal’s situation. I swear it’s like Facebook Live has become a drug. A hanging bagged martini of ego and self-importance, connected to a line that runs bolus into the jugular of an addict that thrives on getting the thumbs up and share from followers like Ms. Elma who lives three states over, hoards cats and hasn’t left her living room in 6 years. Thank goodness she supports you.

This is a legal shelter. 3 sides, a shingled roof, and a floor that is raised off the ground. No bedding is required. The door is small enough to allow the animal entry while still protecting from the elements once the animal is inside, and it is small enough to retain the heat of the animal. It’s actually pretty nice by the standards we regularly see.

The animal in question is a husky mix, and by each and every photograph and video shared, a quite healthy one. Clean full coat, great body score. Free roaming in the yard, safely contained within a secure privacy fence. Lady Spielberg almost got bit when she attempted to peer over the top to get much needed video footage for her FB movie. Aggravating and antagonizing an animal in its own yard is always fun to write on a bite report.

THREE DAYS. Three days is how long Lady Spielberg harassed this family with photos, videos, and interviews. Three days is how long this stranger came by the house, antagonized the dog, circled the property with her camera shoving it over the fence, fed their dog low quality dog treats between the wrought iron bars, stopped them in their driveway and bullied them, shared their location on social media, and threatened legal action (with no grounds, because no laws were being broken) on a family that was actually doing better by their animal than arguably 50% of the population we deal with on a regular basis. And people applaud and idolize her behavior, which we all know encourages it to continue.

I don’t know about you, but I would have to appear in court to defend myself and what I did to this woman if she showed up and did this at my property, with one of my dogs.

One of the residents that she stopped in the street to accuse of animal cruelty and grill for information (not the owner of the dog, a dog that again let me remind HAS EVERYTHING IT NEEDS TO ENDURE THIS WEATHER) was so distracted after the encounter/lecture from Lady Spielberg that when she pulled away she had a car accident. A CAR ACCIDENT. And followers were celebrating the event, making comments about the condition of the vehicle, karma, the homeowner’s financial status.

What the fuck is wrong with you people?

So now the animal will disappear. Because that’s what owners who get harassed nonstop about their animals do. They make them disappear.

Yes it was not YOUR version of a perfect life. But it was good, all things considered. AND LEGAL. He wasn’t tied to a tree with a three foot chain. He wasn’t living in a cage that he could barely turn around in. He had a house, fresh water, a yard, and people who cared enough to give those things to him. You have no idea how many people won’t even provide the basics, yet you choose to plague and torment those that do. And once the animal disappears, where will you be? Will you follow up on where he has been moved to, what his future holds now that you have insisted his present was unacceptable? Of course not. As long as you don’t have to see it, it is no longer your concern. That animal had it pretty good when you showed up. Who knows what he will have when he gets to where he is going.

Your Facebook world will applaud you, and pat you on the back, for making a difference in this animal’s life. Whether it was for the better, or worse, will remain unknown. But as usual, that is our problem, not yours.