Original Article: While working on an unrelated article we drove past these caged dogs in 100-degree weather. The cages are suspended from the ground and each cage appears to be roughly 7 feet by 10 feet. Some of the cages had two dogs in them. Some would say these are kennels but these seem different than any kennel we had seen. Each cage has a bed space made out of a plastic 55-gallon drum. We want your opinion and thoughts. If there was an ordinance by the city of Mineral Wells that caused this to no longer be allowed, would you agree with that ordinance?
UPDATE: We spoke with one of the dog owners and the city to get more details on the situation. Here is a timeline of events. The dog owner told us that back in February of this year they received the kennels, they are in the process of building a large fenced-in area where the dogs can roam around daily but delays with construction have made it undetermined as to when the fence will be installed.
Sgt. Neal Davis with the Mineral Wells Police & Animal Shelter gave us more details on multiple phone calls to 911 that occurred on July 14th, 2021. Concerned citizens called the police as they were worried about the well-being of the dogs. When the police and animal control arrived they had trouble finding out who the owners were because the kennels were in a pasture without any noticeable connection to a house. After finding out who the property owners were, animal control inspected the kennels and found that the kennels were kept up to the required standards of the law. Animal control did inform them that they needed to get the required permits to have the number of dogs that they have in the city limits. The dog owners obtained their permits shortly after being told it was required. Sgt. Davis went on to explain that everything they are doing is completely legal and meets the requirements of the laws in place and said further that the dog owners were very cooperative in doing the things necessary by the city of Mineral Wells.
The owner of the dogs told us that a portion of the dogs are work dogs and the others are their personal pets. Readers were curious if the dogs were used for breeding but the owner told us that the dogs were not used for breeding. She said that every morning and night they go to the kennels, feed the dogs, refill the water bowls, and wet the dogs to cool them off. Some of the dogs have been rescued. She stated that a few of the dogs prefer the kennels rather than being out of the kennels as they had rescued them from a home where they were always kenneled. Currently, she takes the dogs in groups from the kennels to their backyard to run around for some hours almost every single day. In the future, she explained that the kennels will have solar-powered fans and there will be a fence around the property to allow the dogs a bigger space to run when they are not being kenneled. She told us that she is able to have up to 14 dogs with the permits that they received from the city of Mineral Wells.
We asked the dog owner, in the current stages of construction, without the fans in the kennels and these kennels being the place the dogs have stayed most hours of their lives since February, do you think this a healthy environment for dogs when it is over 100 degrees? “I think there are thousands of dogs in Mineral Wells that stay outside in the heat. I think that what I do for them in the morning, wetting them down, shaded from the trees, I think that they are fine. If I didn’t think they were fine, I wouldn’t leave them down there. We keep thermometers in the kennels and it doesn’t get any hotter in the kennels than it is outside”
The main purpose of this article was to get the communities opinion, is long-term outdoor kenneling a healthy environment for dogs? We published this article based on creating a community discussion about the headlines topic. Long-term use of kennels for dogs is a touchy subject. Some people agree with the use of them and others don’t believe outdoor kennels should be used in this manner. Many commented that if the dogs were not in the kennels for most hours of the day then there is no issue. Others thought there was nothing wrong with the use of the kennels at all. And some were completely against the use of kennels. There are no laws being broken. They are keeping the shots up to date and ensuring that the dogs are well fed and hydrated. Although, the question in the headline of the article still stands, do you believe this is a healthy environment for dogs?
Here are the current city codes on animals in the city of Mineral Wells
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