Texas Gov. Abbott vetoed a state animal-cruelty bill, saying the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act was 'micro-managing'

• Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas last week vetoed a bipartisan bill to expand animal-cruelty laws.
• It barred owners from leaving pets outside without water or shelter and regulated tether and collar sizes.
• Abbott called the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act a form of "micro-managing" and "over-criminalization."

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas last week vetoed a bill that would have expanded animal-cruelty laws in the state.

Senate Bill 474, known as the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act, would have prohibited the use of heavy chains to restrain dogs, mandated that animal-control and rescue groups scan pets for microchips, and given tax breaks to pet-rescue organizations.

Abbott said in a statement that the legislation was a form of "micro-managing" and "over-criminalization."

The bill, which received strong support from Democrats and Republicans in the Texas Legislature, would have made it a misdemeanor for a person to leave a pet unattended outside without proper water and shelter. It would have required pet owners to ensure that collars "fit properly" and regulated the length of a tether used to restrain an animal. The bill also would have limited the time owners could leave their dogs in a truck bed.

Abbott said Texas already had laws that prohibit "true animal cruelty."

"Senate Bill 474 would compel every dog owner, on pain of criminal penalties, to monitor things like the tailoring of the dog's collar, the time the dog spends in the bed of a truck, and the ratio of tether-to-dog length, as measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail," he said. "Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization."

Advocates for the legislation have said that a 15-year-old law governing animal treatment is vague and largely unenforceable. The Texas Humane Legislation Network, a nonprofit that helped push the bill, condemned Abbott's move and pointed to the bill's broad political support as evidence that it deserved to be signed into law.

"All the elements Governor Abbott cited as 'micromanagement' were carefully negotiated compromises that addressed concerns from lawmakers in both parties to strike the right balance for our diverse state," Shelby Bobosky, the group's executive director, told the Houston Chronicle. "The passage of the bill in both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support from rural, urban, and suburban members was the result of six years of tireless effort by THLN and all stakeholders who care for dogs inhumanely restrained outdoors."

An author of the bill, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., told CBS Austin that Abbott hadn't asked him about the bill and that he did not think the bill would lead to overcriminalization.

"We don't have enough in the books to make sure we protect these animals from harm, mistreatment and possible death," he said.