6/29/17
by News Department on 06/29/17Animal Cruelty Law...
Anyone caught mistreating pets in Pennsylvania will now face heavier fines and even felony charges, thanks to several new laws signed by Governor Tom Wolf Wednesday.
House Bill 123 includes increased penalties for animal abuse up to a felony, added protections for horses, rules for tethering, and civil immunity for those animal professions when reporting animal cruelty in good faith.
Under the new law, pet owners can only tether animals outside for nine hours when it's nice outside and 30 minutes when it's not. The new law increases prison time for anyone convicted in severe cases and it adds mandatory prison time in some other cases. This means that anyone who causes the death of an animal could face aggravated animal cruelty charges, which is a third-degree felony.
The law will also make it easier to prosecute anyone who knowingly mistreats animals.
With the new law, Pennsylvania is no longer one of three states without a specific felony addressing animal abuse.
