Dog servicesin Joshua, TX

Joshua, TX runs its own shelter. Joshua Animal Services is at 100 Santa Fe St., open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, at (817) 774-9450. It handles impounded dogs, adoptions and owner surrenders from residents inside city limits. Adoption costs $140 for a dog or cat, and that covers spay or neuter, the rabies vaccine and a microchip.

Off your property, the city code says your dog must be physically and continually restrained by a person holding a leash or chain. At home, a fence is enough only if it is high and strong enough to keep your dog in. Joshua also limits tethering: a dog may not be left tied up alone between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., within 500 feet of a school, below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, during a heat advisory or during a hurricane, tropical storm or tornado warning.

The code also bans leaving a dog in a car or trailer where heat or lack of water puts it in danger, and it treats excessive barking near a neighbor's home and unremoved waste on public or someone else's property as public nuisances. Texas law requires a rabies vaccine by four months of age.