‘In the arms of the angel’: Stray animals are not the problem, we are

In 2017, I rescued my first dog and named her Indie. Her litter, approximately eight puppies, had been abandoned on the side of U.S. Highway 77 in Kingsville. She was only six weeks old.
At the time of her rescue, Indie was severely malnourished, coated in fleas and was suffering from a debilitating hip injury.
In 2018, I rescued my second dog and named her Vinyl. Her previous owners had abandoned Vinyl, along with her sister, in the streets of Kingsville. She was one year old.
At time of her rescue, Vinyl exhibited symptoms of extreme separation anxiety, physical abuse and was believed to have been confined to her kennel for most of her life.
Indie and Vinyl have both made full recoveries.
Unfortunately, the stories of many stray dogs and other animals in Kingsville do not end as happily.
I am originally from the central Texas area, and in my area of the state the overall attitude towards stray animals is significantly different than that of South Texas. Dogs and other domestic animals are treated with respect. They are welcomed into homes and made to be members of the family. There are hundreds of city and non-profit shelters to be utilized by the community. My family currently cares for two rescue dogs, apart from my own, and has rescued dozens of other animals throughout my life. Being an active advocate for animals and expressing concern over their well-being is a common characteristic of those who inhabit this part of Texas.
Shortly after moving to Kingsville, I realized two things: South Texas has a serious stray animal problem, and the people of South Texas are generally uneducated on how to properly care for their own pets.
This issue became apparent not only from my own experience rescuing animals in Kingsville, but also from the immense number of stray dogs and cats roaming the streets. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. There are around 30,000 people living in Kingsville, yet the stray animal population mirrors that of a large city.
In addition to stray animals, it is socially acceptable to leave a dog chained outside to a tree for the entire day. Not only chained to a tree but chained to a tree in the extreme South Texas heat.
The fact that this practice is common and can be seen all throughout the community is an injustice to animals and a complete failure on the part of Kingsville’s city government. These city ordinance violations are apathetically unrecognized and unenforced.
Until there are severe punishments for animal neglect and abuse accompanied by region-wide education of how to properly care for an animal, Kingsville and other South Texas communities will continue to be an unfit place for animals to live.