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Helpful Dog 'Shovels' Snow in Raleigh
North Carolina residents woke up on Saturday, January 22, to fresh snowfall after a winter storm moved through the state overnight. (Credit: Suzanne Ward via Storyful)
A new law in Texas aims to protect man’s best friend from extreme temperatures, inclement weather and standing water when they’re outside in the elements.
The ‘Safe Outdoor Dogs Act’ was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last October and went into effect on Jan. 18.
The new law requires dogs restrained outdoors to be provided with adequate shelter to protect them from the elements like extremely hot and cold temperatures, rain and other inclement weather, and standing water, according to the Texas Humane Legislative Network.
RELATED: North Carolina dog ‘shovels snow’ after winter storm
The shelter must be able to ensure the dog can stand, turn around and lie down.
The law also requires dog owners to provide drinking water and prevents the use of chain restraints.
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Dog Utterly Unimpressed by Atlanta Snow
Footage by Instagram user misterdjtiny shows a dog refusing to come out of its Atlanta home into the snow. (Credit: misterdjtiny via Storyful)
In addition, law enforcement can take immediate action to help a dog in distress rather than waiting for 24 hours as had been required previously.
The weather in Texas can be pretty extreme.
In Dallas, for example, average temperatures in January are around 56.5 degrees. The summer can be extremely hot. The average temperature in June is 91.5 degrees, 95.6 degrees in July and 95.8 degrees in August, according to the National Weather Service.
In the months between March and October, all the record high temperatures are above 100 degrees. January and February have seen record low temperatures below zero.
Read more of this story from FOX Weather.