CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new state law became official January 18; Senate Bill 5 or the Safe Dogs Act. It relates to the unlawful restraint of a dog, creating a criminal offense.
A United States Marine and Purple Heart Recipient in Woodsboro brought a situation related to the new law to our attention, so we checked it out.
We visited a property in Woodsboro last Thursday when temperatures were near freezing, and saw at least a dozen dogs on the property, with some tethered. Since it's private property, we kept our distance.
Mike Willemon, a United States Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran, has lived next door to the property for nearly 10 years. One of his family members contacted us, concerned about the conditions the dogs were living in, especially with the cold temperatures.
"I've begged, pleaded, threatened, and everything else with the guy that owns them, and he's only here part-time," Willemon told us.
The man Willemon's referring to is Steven Valdez. Valdez has been indicted for failure to provide necessary care to a dog who was found severely injured on the property September 14. That's second degree felony punishable by up to 2-20 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine.
Valdez wasn't home when we stopped by, but we did leave our contact information with a family member. He has not contacted us,
but we did speak with his attorney, Steven Giovannini, who told us Valdez told him the indictment is not for animal cruelty.
On Monday, we went to Refugio County and spoke with Assistant District Attorney Tim Poynter, Sheriff Raul Gonzales, and Animal Control officer Andy Snyder.
Since this is an open case, they declined on-camera comment, however, Snyder did tell us he stopped by the property Friday, and found that it meets the state's minimum standards for providing food and shelter for the dogs.
On January 18, state legislators passed Senate Bill 5, the Safe Dogs Act. It addresses 'adequate shelter,' which means a sturdy structure. The dog must also be provided potable water and food, and provided 'protection from inclement weather, which includes rain, hail, sleet, and extreme low temperatures.'
It's a Class C Misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class B Misdemeanor for a second offense.
Mike Willemon has made local authorities aware of what he sees everyday and has heard that no laws are being broken.
"I just gave a letter to the sheriff's office this morning, and I got a call back from them telling me that there's nothing they can do because the animal care people say everything there meets the minimum requirement. Food. Water. Shelter."
