PETITION TARGET: Alabama House Agriculture and Forestry Committee Chair Danny Crawford
Four puppies recently perished after being allegedly abandoned without food or water at a residence in Baldwin County, Alabama. The month before, a dog, covered in motor oil and nursing a broken pelvis, was found suffering in the road in Montgomery, Alabama. Less than a year before that, a puppy with two broken legs was apparently discarded at a dumping ground in Bullock County, Alabama.
Following heartbreaking cases like these, Representative Brock Colvin has sponsored a new bill in Alabama that could discourage people from abandoning their animal companions by ensuring they face real legal consequences if they are found guilty of the crime.
Bill HB249, if passed, would make it a criminal act to abandon a dog or a cat. Anyone found “to forsake entirely or leave a dog or cat at a location without providing minimum reasonable care” could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for cruelty to animals and could face one year in jail, a maximum fine of $3,000, or both.
If enacted, this bill could prevent countless animals from being heartlessly discarded — sparing them from suffering and even saving their lives.
Abandoning a helpless animal who depends on a person for care is a devastating act of cruelty and betrayal that deserves to be taken seriously.
Sign our petition urging the House Agriculture Forestry Committee Chair to support this legislation to ensure abandoned animals receive protections in Alabama.
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PETITION TARGET: House Agriculture and Forestry Committee Chair Danny Crawford
An emaciated dog was found chained to a car late last year in Ider, Alabama. The previous month, six dogs were discovered chained and dead in the scorching heat in Northport, Alabama. A few months before that, two adult dogs were reportedly found chained without water while their puppies lay dead or dying in a tiny kennel nearby in Pinckard, Alabama.
Now a new bill in Alabama, dubbed the “Alabama Dog Tethering and Outdoor Shelter Act,” could potentially help prevent tragedies like these by banning cruel and unsafe tethering methods.
“I’ve heard from residents from the southern part of the state all the way to the northernmost part, and everywhere in between that have just shared horror stories of dogs being chained up or tethered in horrible conditions,” said Representative Phillip Ensler about sponsoring the bill.
If passed, House Bill 149 would prohibit tethering to stationary objects in most situations and instead require dog guardians to provide a sufficiently sized enclosure — or ensure a suitable trolley system is in place. Heavy chains and choke collars would be forbidden. Additionally, dogs kept outdoors would have to have enough food and fresh water, along with a weather-appropriate shelter free from accumulated waste or debris.
Violators of the proposed legislation would receive a Class B misdemeanor charge.
Dogs chained outside their entire lives are exposed to brutal weather, potential neck injuries due to heavy chains and choke collars, and even attacks from other animals — all while being deprived of exercise, stimulation, and companionship.
It’s time Alabama rejects cruel and dangerous tethering practices and ensures dogs left outside receive the essential protection they deserve.
Sign our petition urging the House Agriculture Forestry Committee Chair to support this critical legislation and help protect outdoor dogs in Alabama.
