Six Overton County animal rescue organizations have formed a partnership to address an ongoing animal crisis through community education and legislative advocacy.
Michelle Lee serves as a volunteer representative with Friends of Overton County Animals, the coalition uniting local non-profit groups. The alliance aims to tackle widespread issues of animal dumping and overcrowding while pushing for stricter state penalties for animal cruelty.
“Spaying and neutering, that right there, we want to prevent abuse, but we want to work together to help make Overton County citizens aware of how serious this is,” Lee said. “It’s an animal crisis.”
Lee said the county currently lacks a dedicated animal shelter, leaving these non-profit volunteer rescues overloaded with animals.
“But you see animals that’s dumped on the side of the road all the time,” Lee said. “People just put them out and there’s no place to put the animals.”
To combat the abuse, the coalition is working alongside the Livingston Police Department and advocating for new state legislation. House Bill 1444 and Senate Bill 1475 would upgrade aggravated animal cruelty from a Class E to a Class D felony.
“And when that’s done, there’s going to be a lot more stricter laws in which that can carry two to 12 years of prison time and $5,000 fine,” Lee said.
Residents can support the rescues by making monetary donations to Clay County Animal Hospital in Celina or dropping off supplies like food, straw, and old kennels at Hill Hollow Farm Market in Livingston. The alliance is also seeking volunteers to donate lumber and build kennels for the non-profit groups.
“We need our citizens in Overton County to come together, we need to educate those people about spaying and neutering their animals and we need support from our elected officials too,” Lee said.
The partnership includes six local groups: Ripples Rescue, Dog Days Search and Rescue, Treasured Souls Animal Rescue, Pawsitive Outcomes For Overton County Feral Cats, SNIP-OC, and Livingston Police Animal Control.