By Ann Church

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Kathy Milani

With the passage of Virginia's new law, fewer dogs will suffer in dog-breeding operations known as puppy mills.

Virginians care deeply about how animals are treated, and the Commonwealth's elected representatives reflected that concern by enacting a host of strong laws during the most recent session of the General Assembly.

Closing Animal Fighting Loopholes

Lawmakers took huge steps forward in strengthening the animal fighting law. The new law, sponsored by Sen. Tom Norment (R) of Williamsburg and Delegate Morgan Griffith (R) of Salem, makes it a felony to:

• engage in any organized animal fight
• possess animal fighting gear
• allow children to attend animal fights
• participate as a spectator at animal fights

Also, for the first time, the law bans cockfighting outright instead of just outlawing gambling at the fights. We're grateful to Gov. Tim Kaine and Attorney General Bob McDonnell for helping to get this bill passed. The Legislature also passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Roscoe Reynolds (D) of Martinsville to add organized dogfighting as a qualifying offense under the Virginia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.

Puppy Mill Breeders Put on Notice

Lawmakers also stepped up to address inhumane puppy mills exposed by The HSUS investigation into these deplorable breeding facilities. Delegate Bobby Orrock (R) of Thornburg introduced precedent-setting legislation that limits the number of animals a breeder can possess.

Several other bills addressing puppy mills, which are prevalent in many parts of Virginia, were introduced by Delegate Margi Vanderhye (D) of McLean and Delegate Ward Armstrong (D) of Martinsville.

Other Victories

• A new law shepherded through the General Assembly by Delegate Rob Bell (R) of Charlottesville allows a court to order the owner of an animal seized in a cruelty case for more than 30 days to post a bond for the cost of boarding the animal. Many other states have similar provisions to prevent animal shelters from experiencing financial ruin when forced to seize and care for large numbers of animals.
  
  Delegate Bell sponsored the measure at the request of a humane group in his district because of the increasing number of puppy mill and animal fighting dogs being brought to the shelter. "In the case of unsocialized fighting dogs who must be held for months at a time, more adoptable dogs may be forced out," he said. "The cost of boarding these dogs has not been recouped from the original owners, and it's very hard on the shelter."
  
  
• Animal welfare standards were improved by mandating that animals can't be abandoned for more than 24 hours and that water must be provided regularly. We thank Delegate Kenneth Alexander (D) of Norfolk for pushing this through the session.
  
  
• Delegate Orrock's bill to ban gas chambers in all Virginia animal shelters received wide support. Local groups around the state have worked tirelessly for several years to transition away from the gas chambers, an inhumane method of euthanasia in some places.
  
  
• Sen. Harry Blevins (R) of Chesapeake sponsored legislation to increase the license fee cap for cats and dogs from $10 to $25, providing local shelters a much-needed funding increase.
  
  
• Sen. Patsy Ticer (D) of Alexandria is the author of a new provision specifying that animal control officers are experts who recognize the signs of child abuse and will report their suspicions to law enforcement.

Ann Church is Director of HSUS’s Eastern Mountain Regional Office.