One State At A Time: New Animal Cruelty Laws Are Protecting Dogs From The Summer Heat

Jul 26, 2018

Dog ownership can be very rewarding in providing companionship, protection, affection, and attention, but it also comes with an equal demand for responsibility in caring for the dog’s needs and safety.

Someone all too often buys or adopts a dog without understanding the full scope of this responsibility and the burden it can become if unprepared to assure at least the dog’s basic needs are continually met.

While most dog owners realize that food is a basic need for a dog, they often forget about the basic need of reasonable shelter from hot and cold weather conditions. Just as humans cannot survive extreme cold or heat for long periods of time, neither can our furry canine friends.

Of course, we hear horror stories of animals confined in hot cars and suffering agonizing deaths from the temperature, but this isn’t the only elemental concern for a dog. Just being left outside in extreme weather conditions without shelter from the heat and cold can cause heat exhaustion, hypothermia, and death.

Many pet owners unknowingly or negligently leave their dog’s outside for hours, even days, without providing proper sanctuary or reprieve from the harsh elements. There’s also a problem when the shelter provided is inadequate, such as a doghouse on the ground with standing water or snow.

Pennsylvania has joined the ranks of many states like Michigan, South Carolina, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and others in creating anti-cruelty animal laws that require pet owners provide reasonable accommodations for pets and to issue legal consequences for those who don’t.

Pennsylvania’s "Libre's Law" was named after Libre, a Boston Terrier, and even includes his inked paw print on the original document signed into law by Governor Wolf. In 2016, Libre had been tethered and left for dead just outside a Lancaster County Amish dog-breeding farm.

A delivery driver had noticed Libre’s predicament over a two-month period and decided to check on the dog’s welfare and well-being. What he found was an emaciated, starved, sick, mangy, and near death Libre. The driver rescued Libre, and he has since made a full recovery. He’s counted as one of the lucky few survivors of such circumstances.

Libre’s Law issues quite severe penalties for pet owners leaving their pets on a leash for an extended period of time in any extreme weather condition. The law defines extreme weather conditions as “Code Blue” for temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, “Code Red” for temperature above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and “Code Grey” for extreme precipitation conditions. It defines the period of time on a leash as anything longer than 30 minutes.

Penalties are categorized by how bad the cruelty offense is and how many prior offenses exist. Summary offenses, for example, carry about the weight of a traffic ticket. Misdemeanor charges carry a $750 to $50 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Meanwhile, a third degree felony charge can carry a fine of up to $15,000 and up to seven years in prison.

Some other key points of Libre’s Law include:

• Dogs cannot be on an outside lead or tethered for over nine hours in any 24-hour period.
• The tether must be at least three times the length of the dog.
• Dog’s must have access to water, food, and shade if they’re tethered.
• Humane society and veterinary workers have civil immunity from lawsuits when reporting suspected animal cruelty.
• Those convicted of misdemeanor or felony animal cruelty must forfeit their dog.
• Animals cannot be left outside for more than 30 minutes during Code Blue, Red, and Gray weather conditions

Hopefully, these new laws will help provide guidance for pet owners and outdoor weather conditions and encourage safety-first responsibility. How do you feel about animal cruelty laws like Libre’s Law? Maybe you have a rescue story or tips on dog safety you’d like to leave in the comment section. We always love to hear from our readers.