Some dogs getting help in anticipation of law changes

Buckshot is a good boy, but he wasn’t in the best place, which brought the animal control officer by.

“I don’t feel like writing tickets is really the answer or taking someone to court is really the answer," said Loran Dreelin of the Lexington Police Department. "Because a lot of times they don’t have the money to pay for the fine itself. So all we’re doing is taking a step backwards.”

So she reached out for help, bringing in volunteers to help with a new doghouse and kennel.

“It’s been a team effort, really, between what we’ve been doing," said Lexingtonian Nancy Sullivan. "It’s like she made me aware of situations and I have contacts with various rescues and other groups, veterinarians that were willing to help. And it just went hand in hand.”

They brought in new fencing from

, and set it up for him.

“We spend a lot of hours working with dogs and with people in the community,” according to Kimberly Hawk of Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge.

Something that becomes more important in July, when new laws about having tethered dogs outside in hot and cold weather come into effect.

“You can have your dog outside," Hawk said. "But it needs to be in a pen of a fenced-in area. It just can’t be tethered up around the neck.”

Making Buckshot’s new home not just comfy, but legal.

“Like I say," Dreelin said. "I’d rather help an owner and their animal than punish them for something that could easily be fixed.”