Abbott asks lawmakers to consider legislation similar to dog restraint bill he vetoed

After Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill creating rules for dog restraints in June, social media responded with a flurry of #AbbottHatesDogs tweets. Now, the bill that prompted the online outcry when nixed is on the agenda for a coming special session.

Abbott on Tuesday announced which topics lawmakers will consider when they return to Austin for the third special session since May. Among the five items on the agenda for lawmakers is a bill similar to Senate Bill 474, which set standards for outdoor shelter and restraints for dogs.

Abbott on June 18 vetoed the bill because he said it micromanaged and over-criminalized dog owners. The bill if enacted would have stipulated that dogs left outside must have adequate shelter, a place for standing water and shade. It also set rules for chains used to restrain dogs and made violations a misdemeanor offense.

Following the veto, some labeled Abbott as anti-dog and #AbbottHatesDogs trended for several days on Twitter.

“Texans love their dogs, so it is no surprise that our statutes already protect them by outlawing true animal cruelty,” Abbott said in a a statement about his veto. “Yet 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. Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization.”

Abbott said he’d like lawmakers to consider a bill similar to the one that passed in the regular legislative session that “addresses the concerns expressed in the governor’s veto statement.”