Houston heat killed 5 dogs in 1 week. Cruelty teams are swamped.

Over the last week, 5 dogs have died and more than 100 heat-related distress calls have been made to two of Houston's largest animal cruelty tip lines.

Animal cruelty investigators have to walk a fine line when it comes to these situations. They don’t want to separate animals from their owners if it’s not needed and they need to follow protocol – but they also don’t want to risk an animal’s life. The heat can kill quickly.

It's sad Houston has this problem. But the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act, which went into effect earlier this year, is helping change things. The law aims to save dogs from dying on the end of heavy chains in extreme weather.

“When you go to communities like Houston, where there probably at one point were thousands of dogs on chains, that’s going to take some time to implement,” Shelby Bobosky, executive director for the Texas Humane Legislative Network said.

We still have a long way to go. Until then, please bring your dogs inside, Houston.