Utah will Punish Animal Cruelty as a Felony

March 19, 2008

	©Anne Davis, Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah
	The HSUS's Dale Bartlett with Henry, the dog whose abuse inspired thousands of emails to Utah legislators.

Utah just became the 44th state in the nation to impose felony-level penalties for animal cruelty. With Alaska's legislature still considering its own felony cruelty bill, the "Shameful Seven" list of states without felony-level animal cruelty penalties could soon be the "Foul Five."

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., recently signed into law S.B. 297, sponsored by Utah Sen. Allen Christensen (R-19), which makes the torture of a companion animal a third-degree felony on the first offense.

The Winding Way There

The 2007 legislative session ended before two divergent versions of a felony cruelty bill could be reconciled. Huntsman asked the legislature to come to an agreement on cruelty during a special summer legislative session, but lawmakers again failed to reach a compromise.

In response, The HSUS alerted animal advoctes in Utah and helped form a coalition in support of getting a felony animal cruelty law on the books in Utah. The coalition included the Utah Prosecutor's Association, the Utah Veterinary Medical Association, animal welfare groups and others.

		THANK-YOU NOTE
		"Just a quick note to thank you for...HSUS's monumental efforts in getting S.B. 297 passed. Without the alternative bill you presented to Representative Allen this legislative session would have ended disastrously for the animals." —Gene Baerschmidt, Executive Director, Utah Humane Society

In the end, House Speaker Greg Curtis' determination to shepherd through a felony cruelty bill broke through the agricultural lobby's insistence that no animal cruelty should be a felony on the first offense.

Thanks to this bill, not only is it a felony in Utah to torture a companion animal on a first offense, but veterinarians who report suspected animal cruelty or neglect cannot be sued for speaking out, and all animals—including wildlife and livestock—are finally protected under the misdemeanor section of the cruelty law.

Praise and Bouquets

The HSUS praised Curtis (R-49), Rep. Sheryl Allen (R-19), Sen. Gene Davis (D-3), and Christensen for arriving at this compromise and strengthening penalties for animal cruelty.

The HSUS also received kudos. The Utah Humane Society sent a ‘thank you’ note (see box), the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah emailed its thanks, and Utah Rep. Jennifer Seeling (D-23) sent a congratulatory bouquet of flowers.

Utah has become the 44th state with felony-level penalties for animal cruelty and the 40th to pass such legislation since 1986. Only lawmakers in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota have failed, so far, to enact similar legislation to protect animals and communities. Several cruelty bills died in Mississippi this year, but in Alaska, S.B. 273, introduced by Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D-J), is still making progress.

Related Links

Animal Cruelty

Animal Cruelty Laws: Where Does Your State Stand?

The Shameful Seven

The HSUS Applauds Utah Legislature For Cracking Down on Animal Cruelty, Urges Governor to Sign Felony Animal Cruelty Bill Into Law