SB 675

This bill creates standards for the shelter, tethering, and transportation of

animals. Specifically, with regard to shelter for dogs, the bill provides that dog

houses must rest on a flat, solid floor that is at least four inches high, must provide

enough room for the dog to stand, sit, turn around, or lie flat, must be windproof,

must be shaded from direct sunlight, and must be surrounded by a reasonably dry

and clean area. With regard to tethering dogs, the bill provides that dogs may not

be tethered outside during extreme weather or in unsafe or unsanitary conditions,

for such an unreasonable amount of time that it affects the dog's well-being, or for

more than ten hours in a 24-hour period; a person must be on or near a property

where a dog is tethered; a tether may not weigh more than 15 percent of the dog's

weight, the tether must be the longer of 12 feet or four times the length of the dog,

and the collar used may not be improperly fitted nor a prong, pinch, or choke collar;

and a vicious, dangerous, or sick, pregnant, or nursing dog, or a dog that is under the

age of five months, may not be tethered. With regard to the transportation of

animals, the bill requires a person to crate or restrain an animal being transported

in the bed of a truck on public roads or lands in a manner that ensures the animal

cannot fall or jump or be strangled.

The penalty for violating a standard created in the bill is the same penalty for

violating a current law standard of proper shelter for an animal. A person who

violates a standard is subject to a forfeiture of up to $500 except that, if a person

violates the standard within three years after receiving an abatement order from a

humane officer regarding that standard, that person is subject to a forfeiture of up

to $10,000 and except that a person who intentionally or negligently violates a

standard is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The penalty for a Class A misdemeanor

is a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for up to nine months, or both.